Daren Tang’s second term as WIPO Director General runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2032, with a renewed management team approved by member states in July 2026. For companies that file trademarks, designs and patents in several countries, the second term means continuity in the Madrid, Hague and PCT systems, plus a set of concrete changes already decided: amended Madrid rules from 1 November 2026, new PCT rules from July 2027 and the appointment of Mexico’s patent office as an international search authority. This article explains what has been decided and what it means for cross-border filers in Europe, Latin America and Africa.
Key takeaways
- WIPO’s General Assembly appointed Daren Tang (Singapore) to a second six-year term on 21 April 2026.
- Four Deputy Directors General and four Assistant Directors General were appointed for the same period; Marco Aleman (Colombia) continues to lead the IP and Innovation Ecosystems Sector.
- Amendments to Madrid Rules 3, 18, 25 and 27 enter into force on 1 November 2026; they mainly affect representatives and e-mail records.
- Mexico’s IMPI has been appointed a PCT International Searching and Preliminary Examining Authority, effective once its agreement with WIPO enters into force.
- Priorities for the term include IP as a business and financial asset, AI and keeping WIPO’s filing systems efficient for users.
What did member states decide on the Director General’s second term?
WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization) is the UN agency that runs the Madrid System for trademarks, the Hague System for designs and the PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) for patents. According to WIPO’s press release PR/2026/951 of 21 April 2026, the General Assembly appointed Daren Tang to a second six-year term after his nomination by the Coordination Committee in February. The term runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2032.
In the same release, Mr Tang set out the lines for the second term: keeping WIPO’s IP systems efficient and effective for users, updating global IP standards for a world driven by AI, extending the protection and use of IP, and moving IP to the centre of national development strategies. He described his first term as turning IP from a technical and legal matter into a business, economic and financial asset.
Who is in the new WIPO management team?
The Director General appoints Deputy Directors General with the approval of the Coordination Committee, and Assistant Directors General after taking its advice. The summary report of the 2026 Assemblies (A/68/9, 15 July 2026) records that the Committee approved and advised on the eight appointments proposed in document WO/CC/86/1, for terms that coincide with the Director General’s mandate.
| Sector | Lead | Why it matters to filers |
|---|---|---|
| Brands and Designs (DDG) | Shen Changyu (China) | Runs the Madrid, Hague and Lisbon systems and their modernisation |
| Patents and Technology (DDG) | Laura Peter (United States) | Runs the PCT and work on patents and trade secrets |
| Copyright, Creative Economy and IP Governance (DDG) | Pascal Faure (France) | Copyright, judicial cooperation, piracy and counterfeiting |
| Regional and National Development (DDG) | Mzukisi Qobo (South Africa) | Support and technical assistance to national IP offices in all member states |
| Infrastructure and Platforms (ADG) | Kenichiro Natsume (Japan) | Global databases and platforms; leads work on IP and AI |
| IP and Innovation Ecosystems (ADG) | Marco Aleman (Colombia) | IP as a business asset, technology transfer, SME programmes, Global Innovation Index |
| Global Challenges, Opportunities and Partnerships (ADG) | Andrew Staines (United Kingdom) | Health, trade and finance issues; traditional knowledge and genetic resources |
| Corporate Management and Transformation (ADG) | Chitra Narayanaswamy (Switzerland) | Finance, governance and digital operations |
Two points stand out for the corridor. The sector that supports national offices is led from South Africa, and the sector that promotes IP as a business asset remains in the hands of a Colombian, Marco Aleman, who already led it in the outgoing team.
Changes already decided for Madrid and PCT users
Leadership changes rarely alter procedures overnight. What changes practice are the rule amendments, and several were adopted at the July 2026 Assemblies:
| System | Change | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Madrid | Official form required to cancel the recording of a representative (Rule 3); changes to holders’ and representatives’ e-mail addresses expressly recordable, with notifications sent only to the holder or its representative (Rules 25 and 27) | 1 November 2026 |
| PCT | E-mail address and telephone number required in the request; option to exclude certain personal data from public access; basis for changing the correspondence address after 30 months | 1 July 2027 |
| PCT | New model agreements with International Searching and Preliminary Examining Authorities; existing appointments extended to 31 December 2037 | 1 January 2028 |
| PCT | Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) appointed International Searching and Preliminary Examining Authority | When its agreement with WIPO enters into force |
The details are in document MM/A/60/2 for Madrid and PCT/A/58/1 for the PCT rules. On IMPI, document PCT/A/58/3 recalls that an office appointed as an authority is expected to start operating as soon as reasonably possible and, at the latest, around 18 months after appointment.
What the second-term priorities mean in practice
IP as a business and financial asset
WIPO’s data support the shift. Its press release of 8 July 2026 (PR/2026/955) reports that intangible investment passed USD 10 trillion in 2025 and that Brazil invested USD 312 billion in intangibles in 2023. For companies, the practical message is that portfolios will be read more often by investors, lenders and buyers, which raises the value of clean ownership records and documented valuations.
AI and digital services
The Infrastructure and Platforms Sector is tasked with WIPO’s work on IP and AI and with modernising its digital platforms. Users should expect the platforms they file through to keep evolving; the PCT changes on contact data are an early example.
Regional development
Technical assistance to national offices affects examination quality and timelines in the markets where many of our clients file. The appointment of IMPI as a PCT authority is a sign of that trend in Latin America.
What this means for your business
- Check your Madrid records before 1 November 2026: representatives, e-mail addresses and the address for notifications.
- Prepare PCT filing templates for July 2027, including e-mail and telephone details and a decision on which personal data to keep out of public view.
- For Latin American applicants, follow when IMPI starts operating as a search authority, and whether Mexico’s receiving office lets you choose it.
- Treat the portfolio as a financial asset: ownership in the right name, licences recorded and a valuation you can defend.
If you file across Europe, Latin America and Africa, our team for cross-border IP strategy through the Madrid, Hague and PCT systems can check how these changes affect your filings, and our international patent team can adapt your PCT workflow.
Where cross-border filers can get caught out
- Reading policy as procedure. A new strategic plan does not change deadlines or fees. Only rule amendments and fee decisions do, and each has its own entry-into-force date.
- Outdated representative and contact records in Madrid registrations, which can send notifications of provisional refusals to the wrong place.
- Assuming IMPI can already be chosen as search authority. The appointment takes effect only when its agreement with WIPO enters into force.
- Ignoring personal data. From July 2027, the PCT will offer a route to keep certain personal data out of public access; applicants must decide how to use it.
Frequently asked questions
When does Daren Tang’s second term as WIPO Director General begin and end?
It runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2032. WIPO’s General Assembly appointed him on 21 April 2026, following his nomination by the Coordination Committee in February 2026, according to WIPO press release PR/2026/951. The new Deputy and Assistant Directors General were appointed for the same period.
Who is Marco Aleman and what does his sector do?
Marco Aleman, a Colombian national, is WIPO Assistant Director General for the IP and Innovation Ecosystems Sector, a post he held in the outgoing team and to which he has been reappointed for 2026-2032. The sector promotes IP as a business asset, technology transfer and SME programmes, and produces economic analysis such as the Global Innovation Index.
Do the July 2026 decisions change Madrid or PCT fees?
The Assemblies’ summary report records no change to Madrid or PCT fee amounts; the PCT Assembly only streamlined how equivalent amounts of certain fees are set in other currencies. The Madrid changes concern representatives and e-mail records, from 1 November 2026. The PCT changes concern contact and personal data, from July 2027, and the framework for search authorities from 2028.
Can IP Global Guard manage our international filings through WIPO?
Yes. We prepare and coordinate Madrid, Hague and PCT filings, acting before WIPO and the EUIPO directly where our professionals are entitled and otherwise through qualified representatives, and coordinate local correspondents for national phases and designations across Europe, Latin America and Africa from a single point of contact.
Keeping your international filings on track
Changes at WIPO reach users through rules, forms and data requirements. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, tracks those changes for clients filing across more than 25 jurisdictions and coordinates Madrid, Hague and PCT work with one strategy and one billing relationship; see our international coverage.
Send us the list of your international registrations and pending PCT applications. We will check representative and contact records before 1 November and flag what needs to change before July 2027. Ask our team for a review.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the position on its publication date.
Sources
- WIPO, PR/2026/951, Daren Tang appointed for second term as WIPO Director General (21 April 2026)
- WIPO, WO/CC/86/1, Appointment of Deputy Directors General and Assistant Directors General (2 July 2026)
- WIPO, A/68/9, Summary report of the Sixty-Eighth Series of Meetings of the Assemblies (15 July 2026)
- WIPO, MM/A/60/2, Proposed amendments to the Regulations under the Madrid Protocol (31 March 2026)
- WIPO, PCT/A/58/1, Proposed amendments to the PCT Regulations (31 March 2026)
- WIPO, PCT/A/58/3, Appointment of IMPI as an International Searching and Preliminary Examining Authority (5 May 2026)
- WIPO, PR/2026/955, Intangible investment tops USD 10 trillion for the first time (8 July 2026)
- AGEPI (Moldova), report on the 68th WIPO Assemblies, 7-15 July 2026
