PMAC Director Joins Global IP Leaders at the AIPPI World Congress in Hamburg

Yesterday, 7 October 2026, Aleš Zalar, PMAC Director participated in the “Fireside Chat with Global IP Leaders” at the AIPPI World Congress in Hamburg.

His co-panellists were Klaus Grabinski, President of the Court of Appeal of the Unified Patent Court (UPC), Antonio Campinos, President of the European Patent Office (EPO), Eva Schewior, President of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA)  and Tanuja Garde, Director of the Intellectual Property, Government Procurement and Competition Division of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Secretariat. The session was moderated by Ralph Nack, Reporter General of AIPPI, and Guillaume Henry, First Deputy Reporter General of AIPPI.

The discussion examined how artificial intelligence is challenging the human-centred foundations of intellectual property and how patent offices, courts, dispute-resolution institutions and the multilateral trading system may need to adapt. Panellists considered the use and appropriate limits of AI in patent and trademark examination, judicial decision-making, mediation and arbitration, while underscoring the continuing importance of human judgement, transparency and institutional trust. They also explored how national, European and international institutions can cooperate to preserve quality, consistency and effective enforcement as the global IP system evolves.