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 and 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 clients�� increasing interests 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 experiences 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 Department. 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, our 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, an 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 Taipei City.

The new premises were several times larger than the previous premises so as to accommodate more staff members (about 80 were in the International Department then) 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 (currently on the eighth floor).

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 and a portion of the sixth floor, covering an area of about 528 pings (approximately 1,745 square meter); our Litigation Division, Accounting Department, General Affairs Department, and Computer Center occupy the entire twelfth floor covering an area of about 450 pings with our Reception Center located on the eleventh floor (having an area of about 110 pings).

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