The 70th Council Meeting of the Asian Patent Attorney Association (APAA) was held in Taipei from 9th to 12th November. More than 1700 Patent Attorneys and IP professionals from 71 countries gathered to network with members, explore a wide range of IP hot topics presented in committee meetings and workshops, and celebrate APAA’s 50th anniversary together.
TOPTEAM, led by our president Henry Hong, has assisted in APAA’s 50th Anniversary Gala, cultural tour, and other event programs. Our patent attorneys took the occasion to welcome and meet peers from other countries, share the latest practices and exchange ideas. Our office also organized a lunch banquet on November 13 for our long-time associates from the US, Japan, the UK, Germany, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, Span, and Italy. The guests spent some relaxed time with their peers while sharing TOPTEAM’s development.
Established in December 1969, APAA has been dedicated to promoting and enhancing intellectual property protection in the Asian region, Australia, and New Zealand. Since then, the association has thus earned its iconic status in the region and around the world. As an accredited observer of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), APAA is included and involved in consultation processes and debates about current issues. APAA holds a Council Meeting every year and a General Assembly every other year. Both attract many attorneys from across the world. APAA Taiwan has hosted the Council Meeting or/and the General Assembly in 1972, 1983, 1996, 2006 and this year.
APAA now has over 2,500 individual members from 24 countries and areas and Recognized groups in 21 countries and areas . Each group represents at least 7 individual members from at least four different organization members. APAA Taiwan group was established in 1971 and one of the key founding members. It currently has 208 individual members. The Taiwan group plays an influential role in promoting IPR protection in the region as well as Taiwan’s international prominence in the field.