The Name
The initials "AIPPI" are taken from the French name of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle).

The International Organization
AIPPI is an international organization comprised of business firms, executives, lawyers, educators, patent and trademark agents, intellectual property owners, and other persons interested in the worldwide protection of patents, designs, trademarks, trade names, know how, goodwill, copyright, and other intellectual property rights and the elimination of unfair trade practices.

The international organization is domiciled in Switzerland. AIPPI currently has over 8,000 members. It operates mainly through National Groups, of which the United States group, AIPPI-US, is one. In addition, AIPPI has two regional (multi-national) groups, as well as individual members in countries where no National Groups have yet been formed. The members of AIPPI represent more than 100 countries. The website for the international organization is www.aippi.org.

Join AIPPI
A person or business entity joins AIPPI by joining the National Group of the country of residence or citizenship. Membership in the National Group includes membership in the AIPPI international organization. For persons/companies residing in the U.S., the national group is the U.S. National Group of AIPPI (AIPPI - US). For information about joining AIPPI - US and a membership form, please click on JOIN AIPPI.

Purpose of AIPPI
The purpose of AIPPI is to improve and promote the protection of intellectual property both on an international and national basis. It pursues this objective by working for the development, expansion, and improvement of international and regional treaties and agreements, as well as national laws, relating to intellectual property.

AIPPI strives to act as a principal voice for the private sector on international developments in the field of intellectual property. AIPPI is invariably invited to attend diplomatic conferences and meetings of international committees of experts convened by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and other organizations. At these meetings, AIPPI is recognized as an official observer with speaking rights. Conferences in which AIPPI has participated include those which adopted the texts of successive revisions of the Paris Convention of 1883, the Patent Cooperation Treaty, the Trademark Law Treaty, and others. The voice of the private sector has been heard, through AIPPI, on patent harmonization and revisions to the Madrid Protocol, the Berne Convention, and other such issues. Delegates of AIPPI also help national governments. For example, in 1989, representatives of AIPPI assisted the Czech and Bulgarian authorities considering proposals for new intellectual property laws. In dealing with the trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS), representatives of AIPPI assisted authorities in Indonesia and Surinam. Members of AIPPI provided commentary on the drafts for the Eurasian Patent Convention.

History
AIPPI was founded in 1897, shortly following the signing of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property in 1883. Following the initiative of leading European legal scientists and practitioners, a founders' meeting was held in Brussels on May 8, 1897 and in October, 1897, the first Congress was convened in Vienna, with subsequent festivities in Budapest. Meetings, or Congresses, of the Association were held annually in the early stages, later alternating with "Reunions" until the beginning of the first World War caused an interruption in 1914. Following the end of World War I, the revival of the association took place in 1925 and the administrative center of AIPPI moved to Switzerland. As a consequence of the second World War, the activities of the association suffered a second interruption from 1938 to 1946.

The development of AIPPI to its present form has been a continuous one. Starting with an emphasis on Western Europe, it has become a truly international association, including North and South America, Eastern European countries, Asia, Australia, and Africa.

The major executive/administrative body of the international organization is the International Bureau comprised of a President, Vice President, Reporter General, Deputy Reporter Generals, Assistant Reporter Generals, and Treasurer General. The international organization is administered by the Secretary General and his/her staff.

Representatives of the National and regional groups and independent members form a parliament under the name of the "International Executive Committee" with a total of around 300 delegates. The Executive Committee deliberates and adopts the resolutions and reports of AIPPI as well as its administrative statutes and guidelines, and elects its governing body, the Bureau. The General Assembly of AIPPI convenes at biennial Congresses. All members of AIPPI are entitled to participate in the General Assembly which also deliberates and adopts resolutions and reports of AIPPI.

The official languages of AIPPI are English, German, French, and Spanish.

U.S. National Group
The U.S. National Group of AIPPI was organized in 1930 as the International Patent and Trademark Association (IPTA). It has existed continuously since that time, changing its name to the International Intellectual Property Association (IIPA), and most recently to AIPPI - United States (AIPPI - US). The U.S. National Group is governed by its own officers and Executive Committee.

AIPPI - US holds an annual meeting for its members each year and sponsors, or co-sponsors, other programs and symposia on international intellectual property rights topics such as international patent litigation and the U.S. adherence to the Madrid protocol. For upcoming meetings of AIPPI - US and the international organization please check on MEETINGS.

Bylaws of AIPPI-US

AIPPI United States Group
Officers
(elected at Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL November 3, 2006)

Clark W. Lackert President clackert@kslaw.com Marc S. Adler Vice President madler@rohmhaas.com James M. Slattery Vice President jms@bskb.com Philip P. Swain Vice President pswain@fhe.com Richard P. Beem Secretary richard@beemlaw.com Linda S. DeBruin Treasurer ldebruin@kirkland.com

Executive Committee - Officers Plus Erwin J. Basinski Timothy J. Crean Margaret A. Dobrowitsky Damien Eastwood E. Anthony Figg Joseph Fitzgerald Morton David Goldberg David W. Hill Dolores K. Hanna Edward J. Kazsnske Michael K. Kirk Jeffrey Kushan Andrew T. Meunier Kathryn Barrett Park Judith Saffer Maria A. Scungio Andrew Simpson Joseph Siino Alan D. Smith John K. Williamson

The following individuals have served AIPPI - US as Presidents and Secretaries:

For general information regarding the United States National Group of AIPPI contact:

Clark Lackert, President
clackert@kslaw.com
(212) 556-2329
or
Richard P. Beem, Secretary
richard@beemlaw.com
(312) 201-0011