The International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, AIPPI is the world’s leading international organization dedicated to the development and improvement of all intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright.

AIPPI is a politically neutral, non-profit organization, domiciled in Switzerland and currently has more than 8,500 members representing more than 100 countries. Its objective is to promote the protection of intellectual property at both international and national levels.

AIPPI was founded in 1897, shortly following the signature of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property in 1883. In October 1897, the first congress was convened in Vienna with subsequent festivities in Budapest. The development of AIPPI to its present form has been a continual one. Starting with an emphasis on Western Europe it has become a truly international association, including North and South America, Eastern European countries, leading countries in Asia and Africa, and Australia and New Zealand.

In its long history, AIPPI has adopted more than 700 resolutions and reports. The presentation of these resolutions and reports to international governmental organizations, in particular the World Intellectual Property Organization, has contributed considerably to the development, improvement and harmonization of the international protection of intellectual property. AIPPI has promoted revisions of the Paris Conventions leading to enormous improvement in the protection of industrial property during the 20th century.

As a result of an AIPPI initiative, the Trade Marks Law Treaty has been established. Delegations of AIPPI participated actively in all major international and regional discussions on intellectual property law projects ― viz Patent Law Treaty, European Community Patent Convention, Directive of the European Union on Biotechnology, the Hague Agreement and the Madrid Protocol, to mention just a few.

The objectives of AIPPI are to promote understanding of the need for international protection of industrial and other intellectual property in the broadest sense and to encourage further development of IP protection. AIPPI studies and compares existing laws and proposed new laws, and takes steps to perfect and harmonize them. AIPPI works for the development, expansion and improvement of international conventions and agreements concerning IP protection.

AIPPI pursues its objectives by establishing consensus positions on current and important intellectual property issues and communicating those positions to international and regional governmental organizations and to governments. The working committees and the special committees of AIPPI convene this year at the world IP congress in Seoul, and the Executive Committee of AIPPI will adopt the Resolutions proposed by these committees.

By Stephan Freischem, Secretary general of AIPPI