International Department

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In the early seventies, when large intellectual property law firms in Taiwan were mainly concerned with filing applications in Taiwan for foreign clients, Saint Island International Patent & Law Offices was established in 1974 to assist domestic clients seeking intellectual property protection not only in Taiwan but also in foreign countries.

Soon after, branch offices were set up in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung to provide services to our clients who preferred to consult with IP professionals in their local areas. In 1977, in response to our clientsĄŚ increasing interests in seeking intellectual property protection abroad, the firm delegated Mr. Patrick I.C. Yun to set up an International Department in TaipeiĄŚs head office, with a small staff of about fifteen members.

Due to the devoted efforts of our colleagues to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge relating to patent and trademark prosecution, and with the continued assistance of our foreign associates, we gained valuable experience in international intellectual property practice. This earned us the esteem of many foreign associates, who began to entrust us with applications for filing in Taiwan, necessitating the expansion of the International Department.

In 1980, the International Department grew to have a staff of 40 members, which accounted for about one-fourth of the total number of staff members of the firm at that time. In 1984, our firm developed TaiwanĄŚs very first trademark database, documenting approved and registered trademarks in Taiwan. The database is now accessible to our domestic clients for online trademark searches using a Chinese interface.

Continued expansion of our activities in all areas of international intellectual property practice further prompted the establishment of a Litigation Division in 1985. The Litigation Division was set up with the help of Mr. William W.L. Chen, an attorney-at-law, to deal with infringement, licensing, and other matters relating to intellectual property. In 1989, the firmĄŚs head office, together with the International Department and the Litigation Division, moved to the seventh floor of the current building, located in the central commercial district of Taipei. The new premises were several times larger than the previous, so as to accommodate more staff members (about 80 were in the International Department by then) and to facilitate the handling of the growing number of intellectual property cases.

Today, we have about 385 staff members, including 35 local attorneys-at-law and patent attorneys. Of the 385 members, approximately 39% are professionals in the field of patents, about 26% are professionals in the field of trademarks, about 6% are specialists in litigation, about 9% are language professionals, and the rest are supporting clerks. In addition, 31% have been with the staff for 15 years or more, 15% 10 to 15 years, and 20% have been with this firm from 5 to 10 years.

Our firm celebrated its 37th anniversary in February 2011 and hopes to continue providing quality services in intellectual property matters and contribute to the promotion of intellectual property rights in the international community.