International Department

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 to seek 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 better services to our clients, who preferred to consult with IP professionals at their premises. In 1977, in response to our client's increasing interest in seeking intellectual property protection abroad, the firm delegated Mr. Patrick I.C. Yun to set up an international division in Taipei's head office, with a small staff of about fifteen members.Due to the devoted efforts of our colleagues in acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge relating to patent and trademark prosecution, and thanks to the continued assistance of our foreign associates, we gained valuable experience in international intellectual property practice. We also earned the trust of many foreign associates, who began to entrust us with applications for filing in Taiwan, which necessitated the expansion of the international division. In 1980, the international department came into being, with 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, the firm developed Taiwan's very first trademark database, covering approved and registered trademarks in Taiwan. The database is now accessible to our domestic clients for on-line trademark searches using a Chinese interface.

Continued expansion of our activities in all areas of intellectual property practice internationally 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, attorney-at-law, to deal with infringement, licensing, as well as other matters relating to intellectual property. In 1989, the firm's head office, together with the international department and the litigation division, moved to the seventh floor of the current building, which is in the central commercial district of the city of Taipei.

The new premises were four times larger than the previous premises so as to accommodate more staff members (about 80 were in the international department) and to facilitate the handling of increasing intellectual property cases. Three years later, the Taipei branch office also moved to the sixth floor of the same building.

Parallel to the prosperity of the electronic and computer industries in Taiwan, the business of the international department has continued to thrive. Today, the international department occupies the entire seventh floor, covering an area of about 1600 sq.m.

The firm celebrated its 30th anniversary in February of 2004. The firm hopes to continue to provide quality services in intellectual property matters and contribute to the promotion of intellectual property rights in the international community.