BRICS IP offices adopt updated guidelines to deepen patent and innovation cooperation
Delegates at the BRICS intellectual property meeting in New Delhi. Image courtesy: X.com/@PIB_India
New Delhi: Intellectual property offices of BRICS countries have adopted updated operational guidelines aimed at strengthening cooperation on patents, cross-border innovation and intellectual property standards, as India hosts the grouping’s 2026 intellectual property agenda under its BRICS chairship. The guidelines were adopted during the 18th meeting of heads of intellectual property (IP) Offices of BRICS countries in New Delhi.
The three-day meeting is being held from September 1 to 3 and is hosted by the office of the controller general of patents, designs and trademarks under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Around 35 delegates are participating physically and virtually.
Representatives from Russia, Iran and Ethiopia joined online, while other member offices participated in person, according to the ministry of commerce and Industry.
The updated operational guidelines are intended to make cooperation more result-oriented. An earlier coordination meeting in June worked on amendments to clarify consensus definitions, set firmer deadlines and establish minimum review periods for BRICS intellectual property projects.
Patent examination cooperation in focus
One of the main areas under discussion is stronger cooperation in patent examination. The meeting reviewed progress on a BRICS study aimed at streamlining patent examination processes, reducing backlogs and improving the exchange of patent search results among member offices.
Officials also discussed patent analytics and landscape studies, which can help patent offices identify technological trends and improve access to information on emerging areas of innovation. IP India’s BRICS framework already includes cooperation on patent processes, information services, examiner exchanges and digital transformation.
Innovation and commercialization
The meeting also concluded deliberations on several proposed BRICS initiatives, including the BRICS intellectual property awareness Series, IP BRICS FinTech Innovation Monitor, BRICS Industrial Property Commercialization Forum and a Best Practices Repository.
The official release did not indicate that all these initiatives had been formally launched. They form part of the broader discussions on improving awareness, commercialization, innovation support and exchange of administrative practices among member IP offices. The wider BRICS intellectual property programme also covers training of examiners, intellectual property strategies for smaller enterprises, trademarks, industrial designs, patent information services and cooperation in international forums.
GIs and traditional knowledge
The BRICS offices discussed stronger protection and commercialization of geographical indications (GIs) across member markets. The meeting reviewed findings on geographical indications and patent analytics aimed at improving administrative efficiency and strengthening the protection and commercial use of GI products.
Traditional knowledge and traditional systems of medicine also formed part of the agenda. The heads of BRICS IP offices recognized them as part of the countries’ cultural and intellectual heritage and stressed the need for their protection and preservation.
The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks is also leading a BRICS project titled “Traditional Systems of Medicine and Knowledge for Use in Modern Science”.
Public health, designs and patent information
Other areas discussed included intellectual property policies related to public health and development, research on design systems across BRICS countries and work on patent documentation and information resources. Officials also reviewed coordination and monitoring mechanisms for ongoing projects under the BRICS intellectual property framework.
India assumed the BRICS chairship for 2026, with the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks taking over the chairship of IP BRICS. The grouping’s intellectual property framework brings together offices from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The New Delhi meeting is expected to carry forward the updated operational framework and the new areas of cooperation under India’s 2026 BRICS chairship.
