Mr. Gang Hu, Mr. Ylongzhi, Mr. Jianzhong Yang, Ms. Limei Liu, and Ms. Shanshan Du from the firm of China Patent Agent (H.K) Ltd. (China) were kind enough to visit our office. After a considerable blank due to the pandemic it was good to catch up and exchange information. They were also kind enough to give us a presentation on several topics including the recent changes to the process and procurement of suspension of reviews with the TRAB (Appeal Board).

Mr. Franck Soutoul, founder of INLEX-Management Europe and Africa (Mauritius/France) visited our firm today. He was kind enough to give us an update on the general trademark examination trends, explain the importance of obtaining IP protection around the African continent and providing us with some strategies for doing so. We also discussed some recent examination decisions of the EUIPO concerning distinctiveness.

Mrs. Jennifer Colantoni (Spoor & Fisher Jersey) and Mr. Paul Ramara (Spoor & Fisher South Africa) were kind enough to visit us here in Tokyo. They provided us with a detailed presentation on the current status of IP affairs in many of the countries in Africa, from applications and examination to current anti-counterfeiting endeavors. Their pictures and personal experiences gave us a glimpse into the various countries and systems around the African continent.

Today we were happy to meet with Mr. Ea-Roo Kang, Mr. In-Hyuk Kang and Ms. Eun-Hee Kang from the firm of KANG&KANG International Patent & Law Office (Korea). After receiving a presentation about their firm, we discussed the current state of IP affairs, comparing statistics involving applications and lawsuits in both Korea and Japan.

Today we were happy to host Mr. Simone Bongiovanni, Ms. Elisa Tricerri, and Ms. Kumiko Kunichika from the Italian firm Studio Torta. They were kind enough to provide us with a presentation on anti-counterfeiting measures in Italy and the EU, as well as factors taken in to account when assessing similarity of both trademarks and their relative goods and services. We also discussed how to respond to particular opposition and office action situations.