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YKI Patent Attorneys President Kenji YOSHIDA Chairs Seminar:
　　“The State of IP Examination in Malaysia and Vietnam”

Kenji Yoshida President, YKI Patent Attorneys Past President (2009-2012), APAA	Dato V.L.Kandan Shearn Delamore & Co. Past President (2003-2006), APAA	Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac Managing Partner, Vision & Associates

On May 23 and 24, 2013, YKI Patent Attorneys President Kenji Yoshida chaired a seminar in Japan co-hosted by the APAA (Asian Patent Attorneys Association) and the Japan Institute for Invention and Innovation (JIII) on the “The State of IP Examination in Malaysia and Vietnam.” The seminar was held in venues in Osaka and Tokyo, and drew a total of 160 attendees, primarily IP decision-makers from Japanese industry.

Mr. Yoshida opened the seminar by introducing the APAA and issues affecting intellectual property practice in the Asian region, then introduced the two panelists, Dato V.L. Kandan from Malaysia and Mr. Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac from Vietnam. Each panelist delivered a presentation on the current state of IP practice in their country, including summaries of local law and examination procedures, tips for speeding examination, and tools for effectively enforcing IP rights in their jurisdictions. Mr. Yoshida then moderated a panel discussion introducing actual cases handled by each of the panelists and eliciting frank responses to questions from the audience, including questions on sensitive topics such as the quality of examiners and extent of corruption.

Afterwards, Mr. Yoshida expressed an opinion that, based on the number of attendees, the types of questions asked, and the feedback received after the event, the seminar correctly anticipated that Japanese corporations have a growing interest in protecting intellectual property rights in Malaysia and Vietnam, and accurately predicted the concerns these corporations would have. Mr. Yoshida indicated that YKI Patent Attorneys will continue to develop its expanding network in emerging IP markets in Asia.