The vision of the IP5 Offices is global co-operation, which has been defined as "the elimination of unnecessary duplication of work among the IP5 Offices, the enhancement of patent examination efficiency and quality and guarantee of the stability of patent right".
Since October 2008, the IP5 have been working together to harmonise the search and examination environment of each office and to standardise the information-sharing process.
The IP5 Offices have set up three Working Groups (WGs) dealing with projects and topics in the areas of:
In order to enhance the efficiency of the global patent system the IP5 Offices also explore harmonisation of their practices and procedures.
In 2019, the IP5 decided to advance their co-operation in the area of new emerging technologies (NET) and artificial intelligence (AI).