Patent and Patent Information Events in February 2026 (Part 2 Feb. 16-28, 2026)

 Patent and Patent Information Events in February 2026 (Part 2 Feb. 16-28, 2026)

 The post below is a copy of the post published on Feb. 14, 2026 (updated Feb.16, 2026) at the PIUG Community Discussion Forum.  

 

Summary: 2/17 WIPO Launch of the WIPR 2026; Deep IP  Source-Backed AI Answers; Ankar AI Chemistry Drafting Process; 2/18 USPTO Hour Central Reexamination Unit; 2/19 WIPO CWS/NSTF/2026/1; Wilson Gunn Patenting cosmetics; SLW Institute AI-Driven Innovation in MedTech: Patent Eligibility; 2/24-26 WIPO IPC/CE/57; 2/24 Questel Basic Training Orbit Intelligence; Questel GenAI for advanced patent and TM workflows; Patsnap Integrating Litigation in R&D risk analysis; Questel Orbit Intelligence – [AI] Sophia Document: Use cases and Prompting); D Young & Co. European Biotech Patent Case Law; 2/25 WIPO CWS/SEQLTF/2026/1; EPO search tools for business decisions; COHAUSZ & FLORACK EPO Case Law Update 2025/2026 Engineering, physics and digital innovations; RWS IP Research Prior art search; CAS SciFinder Update; 2/26 Questel Advanced Training Orbit Intelligence; CAS Bioactivity in CAS IP Finder; Minesoft Origin Live AI ChatBot review ); In advance: 3/1-3/31 EPAC General aspects of patent law, EPC and PCT

Details:

Tue., Feb.17, 2026

8:00 - 9:30 AM ET | 14:00 - 15:30 CET

WIPO  Launch of the World Intellectual Property Report 2026: Technology on the Move (Registration) (Webcast)

…new analysis of patent and scientific publication data that maps how technological knowledge flows across the world, and three in-depth case studies on digital, clean and agricultural technologies

From Provisional Program: Keynote on Technology Diffusion of Generative AI. Dr Fabien Curto Millet, Chief Economist,Google & Dr. Carsten Fink, Chief Economist, Department for Economics and Data Analytics (DEDA), IES, WIPO WIPO (moderator); Presentation of the World Intellectual Property Report 2026, Innovation Economy Section Team, DEDA, IES, WIPO; Panel on Technology Diffusion: Industry Viewpoint, Ms. Mildred Nadah Pita, Bayer East Africa Ltd., Kenya, Mr. Michael Maas, Zimi Charge Pty Ltd., South Africa [EVs], Mr. Icaro Leonardo Da Silva, Director of Technical Analyses (IPR and Licensing), Ericsson, Sweden; Moderators: Dr. Intan Hamdan-Livramento, Senior Economist, and Dr. Maryam Zehtabchi, Economic Officer, DEDA, IES, WIPO

 

11:00 – 11:45 AM ET | 17.00 -17.45 CET

Deep IP How Source-Backed AI Reduces Risk in IP Work (Registration)

Speaker: Romain Vidal, Patent AI Evangelist at DeepIP

DeepIP is the first AI patent platform to embed source-backed quotations directly inside AI answers; Every substantive statement is tied to a traceable source—directly inside the response, like a built-in bibliography for AI. Live walkthrough across patentability, drafting, and prosecution… How to validate prior art with confidence

   

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET | 18.00 -19.00 CET

Ankar AI Optimizing the Chemistry Drafting Process  (Registration)

…the use of AI drafting in the chemical and material science area is growing, and the results are surprisingly good. Using practical examples, the panel will look at where AI adds real leverage in early-stage chemistry drafting and where attorney judgment remains essential.

Panelists: Carey Jordan, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP,  John Rearick, Cooley LLP, Giulia Toti, Ankar AI and Gene Quinn, IPWatchdog, Inc.

From Ankar Blog, Jan.19, 2026 “In Ankar, generated claims and Markush structures explicitly cite uploaded chemicals….” (with screen captures: chemical compounds in the text, encoded by SMILES are displayable in a structure editor; analysis of chemical patents cited by an examiner in the OA). Note Ankar AI’ FTO search with “built-in chemical support”, in Virbac case study: FTO search is used to identifying blocking patents, relevant chemical compounds and molecules, based on a simple description or a molecular structure: AI search is used for Virbac’s formulations patentability analysis

Cf. Sumpter, K. AI Patent Drafting Tools in 2026: Can They Handle Chemistry & Biotech? DeepIP Blog, Dec.11, 2025;  Lanzatella, Nicholas P.( Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.) Practical Use of AI in Chemical Patent Drafting and Prosecution. SLW Institute webinar, Oct.14, 2025, AI recognition of chemical structures: slides, p.17-26, video (36:47-52:23), also discussing Philippe Schwaller’s ChemCrow Nat Mach Intell 6, 525–535 (2024) (at 52:24 and p.26)

 

Wed., Feb. 18, 2026

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET | 18.00 -19.00 CET

USPTO Hour: Central Reexamination Unit (Registration)

Hosted by the Office of the Commissioner for Patents.

In this session, we’ll focus on the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU), which examines ex parte reexaminations, supplemental examinations, and reissue applications in all technologies except designs. An overview of the CRU; CRU statistics; Recent updates and initiatives; Best practices for CRU.

Speakers: Charles Kim, Deputy Commissioner for Patents, Fenn C. Mathew, Acting Director, CRU and Stephen J. Stein, Management Quality Assurance Specialist, CRU

Add. Info: USPTO Central Reexamination Unit; Ex Parte Reexamination: Overview of the proceedings (3p.), Quinn, G., 2025. Ex Parte Reexamination (Summary) 3 p.;  EPRx 101  & EPRx 201 (Fish and Richardson, 2025), Introduction to EPR (Finnegan, 2025), etc.. Legal basis: 35 U.S.C. 302-305,  37 CFR § 1.510 -§ 1.570. see particular § 1.515 (a) substantial new question of patentability [SNQ]; § 1.530 (d)-(k) (Amendments, Changes shown by markings (f)); § 1.525 [Notice in the OG]), see also eCFR; MPEP §2209, etc.; Reexamination Statistics; Supplemental Examination, [Overview]; MPEP 2801, §2801, etc. (35 U.S.C. 257, 37 CFR § 1.601, etc.[eFCR].);  Reissue applications, MPEP § 1401, §1410, etc.; 35 U.S.C. 251 “Reissue of defective patents”, 37 CFR 1.171, etc.[eFCR];

 

Thu., Feb.19, 2026

WIPO CWS Name Standardization Task Force Meeting (CWS/NSTF/2026/1) 

Related documents: See CWS/13, Agenda Items 4(f) and  5(a), WIPO ST.93 Recommendations on Name Data Cleaning (Draft), CWS/13/15 (Annex, pp.1-4)  (Sep.8, 2025); Report on Task No 55 by NSTF, CWS/13/7(Sep.9, 2025). Note:  The draft has not been adopted because of of objections of the delegation of China to retain applicants names in mative languages and other reasons (see a webcast (CWS/13, Day 2 Morning, 00:17:03-00:22:43); CWS/13/15 Rev. 1, Par. 20, p.4-5 (Nov.8, 2025).

 

6:00 AM – 6:45 AM ET | 12.00 -12.45 CET

Wilson Gunn Patenting cosmetics inventions (Registration)

Speaker: Scott Macdonald, Senior Associate, Wilson Gunn

Patenting cosmetics formulations, novel active ingredients, novel combinations of known ingredients, unique delivery systems, and methods of use, alternative IP strategies, including trade secrets and design rights (in UK and Europe)

See also: Evenson, J., Beynon, N., Hickling, M. Cosmetics Patents. CMS. May 2025, 14 p. (patenting trends 2013-2023, IPC A61Q and A61K 8/00  (…vegan cosmetics, microbiome-based skincare products, men’s beauty and personal care, personalised cosmetics, use of AI in product development; geographical distribution [Patent families 103,203 (CN), 45,518 (JP), 35,700 (KR), 35,6535 (US), etc.], main filers; Global Market ~ USD 716.2bn (2024)); Innovation in the beauty industry – the role of patents. Mishcon de Reya LLP, 24 July 2024 (Examples: L’Oreal’s cosmetic applicator (A45D 34/04) and a lip composition, free of water and silicons (CPC A61K 2800/30)); Wilson, Alice (J. A. Kemp) Clean Beauty: Patenting Natural Products in the Cosmetics Industry Lexology, Oct. 9, 2023 (Algal and onion extracts, Oleic acid); Pratt, Clare 2025. Biotherapeutic Cosmetics.I Patent Strategies (patenting trends 2006-2023, IPC A61Q and A61K 8/02-04,06,11,14,18, 64-67,72,73,88,97,98,99) and II. [Cosmetic use claims], Mathys & Squire, Aug. 20 2025 and Sep., 9, 2025. Cf. In USA: FDA “Trade Secret” Ingredients (Mar. 26, 2024) [fragrance and flavors, see VCRP, Form FDA 2512, 21 CFR § 720.4 (d))(1)]

 

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET | 19.00 -20.00 CET

SLW Institute AI-Driven Innovation in Medical Technologies: Patent Eligibility Challenges (Registration)

Speaker: Robert Hirning and  moderator Marvin Beekman, Patent Attorneys and Principals, Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner

In this presentation, Robert will discuss challenges in obtaining patents on AI-based medical technology, including patent eligibility and disclosure concerns for AI-related MedTech inventions in the US and other countries. He will also address recent case law and patent office developments in this area.

Add. info: Hirning, R. and Beekman, M. (Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner).Patent Prosecution for Medical Technologies with AI: Why Software-Heavy Domains Face Different Challenges, LinkedIn, Feb, 9, 2026 [administrative automation application, clinical decision support systems, personalized medicine applications]; Tran, Bao,  Addressing Patent Challenges in Medical Device AI Integration. PatentPC, Jan 22, 2026; Soong, Jim.(Sheppard), 2025. PTAB Rejects AI-Driven Medical Patent – Not for Novelty, But Eligibility. AI Legal Journal. May 21, 2005; See also the first episode of AI-Driven Innovation in Medical Technologies webinar series: Patent Landscape and Trends (Jan, 22,2026, slides (91 p.) and video (1:00:22))

 

Tue.-Thu., Feb. 24-26, 2026

WIPO IPC Union - Committee of Experts, Fifty-seventh Session, IPC/CE/57

From Revised Draft Agenda: Item #4. Report on the progress of the IPC revision program (See project CE 462); #5. Report of the Expert Group on Semiconductor Technology (EGST) (CE 481, H10); #6. Report on the progress of the CPC and FI revision programs, Reports by the EPO and the USPTO on the CPC and by the JPO on the FI; #7. Amendments to the Guide to the IPC and other basic IPC documents (CE 454, Anx 109, etc. and CE 455, Annex 118); #8. Integration of the new emerging technologies (NETs) into the IPC Revision Roadmap; objective criteria for identification of the NETs (CE 551, Anx 6, Anx 7[IPC NET Catalogue]); #9; Secondary classification and Indexing schemes in the IPC (CE 552, Anx19); #9.Reclassification status report [delays] and [AI-based IPC reclassification testing] (CE562 and CE 532); #10 Experience from offices on [AI-based] classification (CE 524. incl. EPO & JPO (2025); CNIPA (2024), UK IPO (2023)); #11. Impact of AI and AI-assisted tools on patent classification (CE 579, Anx 3 [Brainstorming Discussions: opportunities and challenges] ); #12. Report on IPC-related IT systems (IB) 

 

Tue., Feb.24, 2026

4:00 – 5:30 AM ET | 10:00 – 11:30 CET

Questel Basic Training Orbit Intelligence (Registration)

 

6:00 AM – 6:30 AM ET | 12.00 -12.30 CET 

Questel How to leverage GenAI for advanced patent and trademark workflows (Registration)

Speakers: Sabine Knapp and Arnaud Gasnier, Questel

The “why” of GenAI; Use data from Equinox to work in Qthena, including ID, patent drafting, office action responses, and portfolio reviews; Equinox AI roadmap

Add. info: Qthena, AI Copilots in Action: The All-in-One IP Solution (49:22, Apr. 24,  2025, Marie Farges and Lisa Lepore, SaaS solutions, Questel) (00:00 Introduction 03:20-13:32 Qthena…33:30 Integration with Equinox IPMS 34:55 Use case – Invention disclosure and patent drafting, Office Action Response,  Claim Chart Generation); Qthena, patent prosecution workflow automation,  AI assistants for patent productivity (powered by OpenAI and Gemini): qatent, Patent Drafting Software, video (2:21), 2024;, AI Chatbot for Patent Search & FTO Analysis Review (a prompt library to clarify automated analysis,, request summaries,  contextualize by competitor activity and industry trends) Gen AI Models for Patent Mapping and Claim Feature Analysis, for FTO analysis or prior art mapping; Equinox, IP management software  (Equinox Corporate/Law Firm, w/ Qthena's AI Copliots (see above + IP Portfolio review) linked to Equinox Invention with Automatic prior art search based  on invention concept semantics);  See also: Reinventing Patent Intelligence  How AI Is Shaping the Future of Patent Research (42:05, Nov.7, 2025, Fanny Coignard)

 

10:00 – 11:00 PM ET | 16.00 -17.00 CET

Questel Orbit Intelligence – Sophia Document in Action: Real-World Use Cases & Prompting Best Practices (Registration) (new)

This webinar explains how to write effective prompts, avoid common mistakes, and use Sophia Document to quickly identify the key information in a patent. We’ll go through use cases and show how Sophia Document can be integrated into everyday workflows

 

10:00 – 11:00 PM ET | 16.00 -17.00 CET

Patsnap Deep Dive Webinar: Integrating Litigation to Expand IP Avenues (Registration)

Speakers: Kareem Zeid and Carley Langleben, Patsnap

Add.  info: (Patsnap Analytics)  Litigation database (US,CN,EPO,JP,KR,AT,AU,BE,BX(Benelux), CA, CH, DE, DK, ES, FI), Search fields:Court Name, Title, Fulltext, Outcome of Judgement, Plaintiff, Chief Judge, Verdict Date, Plaintiff and patent related cases. For US cases, docket information could be displayed; Finding Litigation Cases For Your Patents; Finding patents that may become involved in litigation cases (The company could expect validity counterclaim [or assertion of competitors patents from competitors which potentially infringe the company patents [searched against competitor patents, not product], see an example of patent tlitigation risk landscape below, see also Patsnap Guide to 3D Patent Landscaping, Infringement Risk and Competitive Analysis);  (Patsnap Insights):  Litigation History Report (for a particular company) :What is the risk of this company?", "Which patents are being asserted?" and "How are the cases being resolved?"; TopPlaintiffs" /Defendants, Related concepts, etc,: The Litigation Threat Report (for a technology are) (US/CN/TW/GB/JP litigation cases) (“Who are litigious in your field”, etc.)

Patent litigation risk landscape, https://help.patsnap.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000037497-How-Can-I-Stay-Aware-Of-Litigation-Cases-For-My-Patents

 

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET | 18.00 -19.00 CET

D Young & Co. European Biotech Patent Case Law (Registration) (also 7:00 AM ET | 13.00 CET and 10.00 CET)

Speakers: Simon O'Brien, PhD (Cantab) and Nathaniel Wand, PhD (Birm), D Young & Co

The webinar will include discussion of the latest European biotech patent case law developments.

Add. info: Second non-medical use claims: guidance on using “relative improvement” features (T2387/22) (D Young & Co Patent Newsletter No.110 Dec. 2025, p.4). See  Nov.18, 2025 webinar (46:55),  w/ Tom Pagdin and Rebecca Price: [Products on the market as a prior art (G 1/23); priority entitlement and the “same invention”(T 0883/23): post-published evidence (1) to support medical use claims (T 0867/23): (2) undermining sufficiency (T 0709/23)]

 

Wed., Feb. 25, 2026

WIPO CWS Sequence Listings Task Force Meeting (CWS/SEQLTF/2026/1) 

See CWS/13, Agenda Items 4(b) (CWS/13/3) and 5(b) (CWS/13/16 REV.): CWS approved the proposed revision to WIPO Standard ST.26 as version 2.0 and approved the date of entry into force as July 1, 2027.  See WIPO ST.26, v.2.0 , CWS/13/16 Rev. ANNEX I, 187 p.[Changes:  require certain nucleotide analog residues and peptide analog residues to be represented by the symbol for the corresponding unmodified residue, making them specifically defined, see  new examples 29-3 to 29-6, Annex I, pp.147-155; Optional inclusion of short sequences, < 4 AA and <10 nucleotides

 

7:00-8:30 AM ET | 13.00-14.30 CET

EPO EPO search tools to improve business decisions,  BS01-2026 (Registration, by 2/24/2025)

Speakers: Johannes Schaaf & Geert Boedt, EPO

Using Espacenet to filter and analyse search results; Using PATSTAT for more advanced statistics

See slides (58 p.) of the Mar.5, 2025 BS01-2025 webinar and add. info in the notes to this event  to in PIUG Cimmunity Discussion Forum post in March 2025.

 

10:00 – 11:30 AM ET | 16.00 -17.00 CET

COHAUSZ & FLORACK CFWebinar EPO Case Law Update 2025/2026 Engineering, physics and digital innovations (Registration, by 2/24/2025)

Speakers: Mathias Karlhuber and Lars Grannemann, COHAUSZ & FLORACK

… recent developments in the case law of the EPO Boards of Appeal and the Enlarged Board of Appeal dealing in particular with engineering, physics and digital innovations. (G 1/24 – Claim Interpretation, G 1/25 – Requirement to amend the description, Case Law – Procedural and material aspects)

 

11:00 – 11:45 AM ET | 17.00 -17.45 CET

RWS IP Research Prior art search – innovate, monetize and defend patent portfolios (Registration)

Speakers: Jim Burns, VP, IP Research, RWS and J. Eric Churilla,Law Office of J. Eric Churilla 

In this practical webinar, RWS IP search experts show how a single, well-structured prior art strategy can support patentability decisions, inform licensing and assertion planning, and stand up to scrutiny in high-stakes invalidity challenges.(Innovation: understanding prior art, dentifying competitors and tracking filing trends; Monetization –patent landscapes, licensing prospects, spotting potential infringers and assertion targets; Defence: stress-testing patents before assertion, uncovering 102 art and robust 103 combinations)

Add. info: RWS IP Research: Types of searches: Invalidity, Freedom to Operate, Novelty, Landscape, Monetsation, etc.

 

2:00 - 2:45 PM ET | 20:00 - 20:45 CET (also 10:00 - 10:45 CET) 

CAS What’s New in CAS SciFinder®? (Registration)

…we walk you through recent updates and new capabilities that leverage Science-Smart AI in CAS SciFinder

See CAS Press releases Aug, 4, 2025 and October 7, 2025 discussing introduction of SearchSense, a collection of new AI-driven search capabilities in CAS SciFinder and CAS BioFinder (see an example a prompt and response below). See recording of CAS Scifinder webinars: Learn about AI-enabled search in CAS SciFinder (Sep.17, 2025, Scott Hertzog and Lena Blumenthal, 25:11) (natural language searches in CAS SciFInder to retrieve substance details, classes, and groups, reactions, and more; complex queries interpreted by AI in a literature search); Introducing AI-powered search summarization… in CAS SciFinder® (Oct.22, 2025, Justine Raymond, 0:00-8:16)

Example of a prompt in CAS BioFinder: Identify novel protein targets for ovarian cancer that are currently underexplored in the literature or drug development pipelines. Focus on targets that, while not widely studied, show potential biological relevance or connectivity within the BioFinder dataset. For each proposed target, provide a rationale based on available data—such as pathway involvement, expression patterns, or network centrality—and explain why it may represent a promising direction for further investigation.

https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/650867962272bf8f15c1034b/68e5661fc2107f4831335b7b_agentic-ai-at-work-within-cas-biofinder.avif

 

Thu, Feb. 26, 2026

4:00 – 5:30 AM ET | 10:00 – 11:30 CET

Questel  Advanced Training Orbit Intelligence (Registration)

 

9:00 – 10:00 AM ET | 15.00 -16.00 CET

CAS CAS Bioactivity in CAS IP Finder (Registration)

Speaker Paul Peters, Director, Customer Success Specialists, CAS

In this webinar, we will describe the data structure and the key search and display fields in CAS Bioactivity¸a new database in CAS IP Finder. 

About database: CAS Bioactivity contains data for structure activity, adsorption, metabolism, excretion, and toxicology that is captured for over 5 million ligands active in numerous human therapeutic areas, including cancer, cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolism, dermatologic, and central nervous system diseases, The modalities covered include not only small organic molecules, but also antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, peptide-drug conjugates, and coordination compounds. DNA and RNA therapeutic sequences will be added later this year

Add. Info: CASBIOACTIVITYTM (File label CASBIOACTIVI) STNext Datasheet (10 p. Sep.2023); cf. CAS BioFinder Discovery Platform™ (CAS BioFinder provides a centralized database for drug discovery [with] everything that’s been published in patents and literature and has associated pharmacology pathways, metabolism, and nearby chemical neighbors

 

10:30 – 11:00 AM ET | 16:30 – 1t:00 CET

Minesoft Origin Review everything without reading everything: Live result chat demo (Registration) (new)

 

In advance:

March 2026

EPO Training for EPAC (European patent administration certification): General aspects of patent law, EPC and PCT, PV03-2026 (Self-enrollment) (Course room opens: 1 March 2026, Live sessions: 11 and 18 March 2026)

This basic course (16 h) provides the fundamentals of patent law, with a focus on the EPC and PCT. Participants learn key patentability criteria and explore how international systems are used to obtain and manage patent rights across multiple jurisdictions,

Add. info: The program of PV03-2026, the first of four courses of the 2026 EPAC preparation course and may correspond to the Module “Understanding patents” at the 2025 Learning path for formalities officers and paralegals: General aspects of the patent system; The European patent system, The European patent granting procedure,  The PCT system, The PCT procedure (all entry level).

Update 2/16/2026 Feb. 24, 2026 Questel Orbit Intelligence – Sophia Document in Action: Real-World Use Cases & Prompting Best Practices; Feb. 26, 2026 Minesoft Origin Review everything without reading everything: Live result chat demo; Feb. 17, 2026 Deep IP How Source-Backed AI Reduces Risk in IP Work