The annual European Judges’ Forum took place in Venice on 23 and 24 October. Organised by the Intellectual Property Judges Association (IPJA), the European Patent Lawyers Association (EPLAW) and the European Patent Office (EPO), the event brought together leading patent litigators and senior patent judges from the Unified Patent Court (UPC), national courts and the EPO Boards of Appeal.

This notice concerns Sarfaraz K. Niazi of Deerfield, Illinois who is a registered patent agent (Registration Number 52,076). The United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") Director has reprimanded Dr. Niazi for violating 37 C.F.R. §§ 11.101 (failing to provide competent representation), 11.103 (failing to act with reasonable diligence in representing a client), and 11.804(d) (engaging in conduct that is prejudicial to the integrity of the U.S. patent examination and issuance process). The reprimand is predicated on Dr. Niazi's violation of these provisions of the USPTO Rules of Professional Conduct in connection with the submission of incorrect Certifications of Micro Entity Status in certain patent applications. See 37 C.F.R. § 1.29(a)(2).

The European Patent Office (EPO), Japan Patent Office (JPO) and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) met in Vienna on 19-21 October for their 44th annual Trilateral Conference. The meeting brought together EPO President António Campinos, who hosted the event, JPO Commissioner Yasuyuki Kasai and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director John A. Squires to discuss current and future challenges facing the global patent system.

Judicial Symposium on Intellectual Property / TOKYO 2026 (JSIP2026) was held on Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23, 2026. It was co-hosted by the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the Supreme Court of Japan, the Intellectual Property High Court (IPHC), the Ministry of Justice, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, and the IP Lawyers Network Japan. This symposium has been held annually since 2017 with the aim of deepening mutual understanding of judicial and trial and appeal systems for intellectual property in participating countries and regions. The 2026 symposium marked the 10th edition of the event.