It has been my pleasure to have been President of CIPA for 2022. This was my second term as President, having held office in 2010-2011. Having been active on Council in the years between my presidencies and having been editor of the Journal and Chair of the Trade Marks Committee, it is fascinating to observe just how much CIPA has changed.
My presidency was marked by the gradual emergence from the pandemic and a return to something approaching normality. The world, of course, looks different. CIPA Council has embraced technology and our meetings are now fully hybrid. We learned through being stuck in our homes as Covid struck that we could work successfully remotely, and retaining participation through videoconferencing enables Council to be more inclusive. The same can be seen in the way that committees now work.
On the policy front, our work has been focussed on continuing to deal with the consequences of the UK leaving the EU and making its own way in the world of international trade. I want to record my thanks for the work of the IP Commercialisation Committee, led by Catriona Hammer. The Committee has made fantastic contributions to the government’s consultations on trade agreements with Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, and continues to monitor ongoing discussions with Israel, India, Mexico, Canada and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
By far the most important work has been on the UK’s proposed accession to the CPTPP and ensuring that the government observes and protects our existing obligations under the EPC. Again, thanks go to Catriona Hammer for leading this work, ably supported by past President of CIPA Alicia Instone, our Chief Executive Lee Davies, and our Deputy Chief Executive Neil Lampert. Council regularly received updates on meetings with MPs, peers, Ministers and our partner professional associations in CPTPP member states. It has been an extraordinary effort. At the time of writing, it is too early to know if we have achieved our intended outcomes, but members can be assured that we could not have done more.
The return of our international liaison work was a welcome feature of my presidency. It was a real pleasure to attend a roundtable with our colleagues in the All-China Patent Attorneys Association (ACPAA), provide a webcast to the conference of the Korean Patent Attorneys Association (KPAA) and host the American Intellectual Property Lawyers Association (AIPLA). I was delighted to be able to attend the conference of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA) and connect with colleagues from the Association of Singapore Patent Attorneys (ASPA), the Japanese Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA), the Taiwan Patent Attorney Association (TWPAA), and KPAA. I was also pleased do discuss the UPC at the British Council in Singapore and attend the annual meeting of the International Trademark Association (INTA).
At home, it was great to have the opportunity to catch up with CIPA members at the Merseyside, Midlands, Scotland and Manchester regional meetings. Whilst the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II meant the cancellation of CIPA Congress, the return of in-person conferences was a great success and I was very pleased to be able to attend the Life Sciences Conference and the IP Paralegal Conference and Dinner.
Thank you for having me as your President. It has been an honour and I wish Daniel Chew, the President for 2023, every success in his year in office, supported by Vice-President Matt Dixon.
Alasdair Poore
