USPTO's 'tiger team' joins WIPO’s Global IP Assignment Platform pilot program

ALEXANDRIA, VA-America's Innovation Agency, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), announced today that it will participate in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)'s Global IP Assignment Platform (GIPAP) pilot program(link is external). GIPAP is a centralized, standard platform for filing and tracking intellectual property (IP) assignments.

"For years, rights holders have urged IP offices around the world to simplify and streamline IP assignment recordation practices," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO Director John A. Squires. "This WIPO pilot project will help to determine whether this prototype platform-the result of several years of careful development-will be the answer to that call."

Before agreeing to participate in the GIPAP pilot program, the USPTO convened its cross-functional "tiger team" to analyze the results of a WIPO feasibility study and to examine the GIPAP prototype. The team is co-led by Robin Evans, Deputy Commissioner for Patents, and Mary Critharis, the USPTO's Chief Policy Officer and Director of International Affairs.

Currently, assignments for patents, industrial designs, and trademarks involve recordation with each individual IP office, a time-consuming and often expensive process. The GIPAP pilot program explores an alternative solution, with a system that will allow for centralized filing with WIPO. The pilot program is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2026 and continue into 2027.

The U.S. has been a vocal advocate for the modernization of filing and registration systems, most recently at the 2026 WIPO Member States Assembly in July.

"The time has come now to modernize these systems, including leveraging the most powerful technology tools the planet has ever seen, including AI, to bring them robustly to today's form and function," said Director Squires in his remarks. "The world's inventors, creators, and entrepreneurs cannot wait. The onrush of technology has never even heard of the word 'wait.' Innovation only knows now."

The GIPAP pilot program was developed by WIPO at the request of stakeholders to reduce the administrative burdens associated with recording IP assignments in different jurisdictions. After conducting a feasibility study of the various business, legal, and IT requirements for recording assignments in jurisdictions across the globe, in May 2026 WIPO invited IP offices to participate in the pilot program. During this phase-designated "Phase 2"-WIPO will work with a representative set of offices to develop and validate end-to-end workflows of the GIPAP prototype.

Director Squires highlighted that "the USPTO hopes that through its support and leadership in the process, Phase 2 of GIPAP can be expedited and will result in a more streamlined and effective assignment filing system for users of the global IP system, especially U.S. businesses, in support of their patent, trademark, and industrial design rights across the globe."