The International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) will open the 43rd World Intellectual Property Congress in COEX, southern Seoul, on Saturday to discuss IP protection and other issues.

A number of international intellectual property professionals arrived in Seoul to take part in the 2012 congress, one of the biggest IP-related events, to run until Oct. 23.

It is the first time for Seoul to host the World IP Congress of AIPPI, the world’s oldest global IP association with 9,000 members, the organizing committee for the 2012 AIPPI Congress in Seoul said.

The congress will start with an opening ceremony on Saturday evening, followed by the working committee meetings on worldwide issues in the IP field. 

Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony to deliver a congratulatory address.

This year, the congress will have a mock trial to demonstrate the process for enforcement of patents, especially in Korea, the organizing committee said in a statement.

Seoul District Court Judge Kim Ki-young and two attorneys for the plaintiff and the defendant will attend the trial. Commentators from Germany, China, Japan and the U.S., including Chief Judge Randall R. Rader from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, will join the trial. All participants in the trial will discuss how the decision would be made in their own country, so they can compare laws and procedures in different countries. The organizing committee will provide a cultural experience program for attendees over the weekend.

The congress supports IP professionals to gather information and to raise understanding of IP-related issues in different sectors by providing four plenary sessions and seven workshops. High-profile speakers, including U.S. Court Judge Randall R. Rader and James Poorley, deputy director general for patents at WIPO, will deliver speeches during the congress.

The congress will also provide participants with an opportunity to meet with friends, clients and associates from all over the world and to establish new contacts. More than 2,000 IP professionals from 80 countries are expected to attend the Seoul congress.

AIPPI, established in 1897, is a world-leading non-governmental organization dedicated to the development and advancement of the intellectual property protection system since its establishment in 1897. It also has contributed to building human networks and strengthening ties among members.

By Seo Jee-yeon  (yseo@heraldcorp.com)