Throughout its history FICPI has stood up for the public interest by developing and maintaining a strong IP profession throughout the world, so that all clients have good access to skilled IP advisers in their own countries.

Among recent achievements, FICPI has been: 

• Active in the patent harmonisation process.  FICPI is one of the very few organisations listened to by the Group B+ of countries and IP organisations, created to support the move forward on issues under consideration by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), particularly on topics around the substantive harmonisation of patent laws (SHPL).
   
• The only organisation to bring an international perspective to the U.S. Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) on the:
   
  • Standards for file history estoppel
  • Proper definition of the scope of invention
  • Protection of software
  • Requirement of written description
  • Broad application of prior art
  • Proper scope and reach of one country’s patents into a foreign jurisdiction
     
• A successful filer of amicus briefs with the EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal, dealing with such topics as:
   
  • Disclaimers
  • Diagnostic and surgical methods
  • Divisional applications
  • ‘Essentially biological’ processes
  • Dosage regimens
  • Patentability of computer software
     
• Decisions of the Enlarged Board EBA expressly mention these amicus briefs, and the Board has followed FICPI’s positions on basic questions of importance for FICPI members and their clients, such as the correction of priority declarations, the requirement for claiming priority of the ‘same invention’ and disclaimers.
   
• Instrumental in WIPO’s Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (SCT) in ensuring that the rights of trade mark owners are protected in cyberspace. FICPI has also presented a list of ‘key design issues’ that formed the basis for discussion at the SCT on the protection of designs internationally.
   
• The early voice of IP interests within ICANN, the body governing all domain name related issues on the Internet. FICPI played an important role in the foundation of the intellectual property constituency (IPC) of ICANN and continues to be influential in that arena.
   
• Selected by WIPO to provide tutors and deep expertise for its International Patent Drafting Course.