We had the pleasure of holding a web meeting with our colleagues Mr. Kohji Suzuki and Mrs. Jamie Lynn Kraft at Smart & Biggar in Canada. Along with providing updates of the current conditions in each country, we learned of methods to potentially expedite examinations in Canada (which have been lagging) as well as how to better use and even have specifications of goods/services added to the pre-approved Specification Manual utilized by the CIPO.

We held a virtual meeting with our colleagues at the local branches of Rouse Group in Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand. They informed us of the latest information about current and new examination practices and the change of the examination guidelines in Indonesia and Thailand, and provided a forecast of the grand opening of the IP department in Myanmar.

We met with our colleagues at the firm of Baker & McKenzie in Myanmar. They were kind enough to update us on the current situation in Myanmar, and informed us of some recent/expected developments with respect to the Myanmar IP Office.

Mr. Andrew Conduit from SKC Law in Indonesia was kind enough to visit our firm today. We discussed the recent start of seizure actions by Customs in Indonesia, and he provided us with an overall picture of the steps and procedures expected to be required as this process moves forward. We also discussed the new database for goods and services in use for on-line filing in Indonesia, and how to go about specifying unique goods and services that are not in the “pre-approved” list.

Mr. Wei Qing and Mr. Ning Yue from FAIRSKY LAW OFFICE (China) visited our office today. They provided us with a detailed description of the services their firm offers. We also had an interesting discussion on whether it is important for foreign trademark owners who’s primary trademark is depicted in English (alphabetical) to apply for and maintain a Chinese transliteration mark as well.