Updates from the field World IP Day photo gallery Map of domestic activities
Updates from the field
Bangkok, Thailand - September 2025
USPTO Bangkok-based IP attaché Matthew Kohner (left) and U.S Embassy Bangkok Economic Analyst Stephen Orr destroy counterfeit Ford car parts during Thailand’s annual destruction ceremony of IPR infringing goods, held on September 5, 2025. More than 1.5 million counterfeit items, including apparel, footwear, and car parts bearing U.S. and international brands, were destroyed to ensure they would not re-enter channels of commerce. (Photo courtesy Chanchart Chotiphol)
Singapore - August 2025
On August 26, 2025, Matthew Kohner, IP Attaché for Southeast Asia, met with Vichea SUON, Director of Cambodia’s Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) and Chairperson of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC), and his delegation to discuss IP protection and enforcement in ASEAN. This meeting occurred on the margins of Singapore IP Week.
Nairobi, Kenya - June 2025
On June 5, 2025, Johannesburg-based attaché Katherine Hiner participated in an event organized by the American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya, and the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. The event, held in Nairobi, focused on creating opportunities for U.S. industry to operate and invest in the Kenyan creative economy. During the event’s first panel discussion, “Unlocking the Potential of the U.S.–Kenya Creative Ecosystem,” Ms. Hiner emphasized the importance of a strong IP framework for creators and rights owners to realize the full market potential of Kenya’s creative sector.
More Updates from the Field
Shanghai, China - May 2025
The USPTO’s IP counselor in Beijing, Michael Mangelson, moderated a discussion at a pharmaceutical IP seminar held on May 15, 2025 at the U.S. Consulate’s Shanghai American Center. Mangelson co-hosted the event with the USPTO’s Shanghai office. The panel discussion included speakers from Jones Day Shanghai, AstraZeneca, PhRMA’s Beijing Office, and a former Beijing IP court judge.
Bangkok, Thailand - April 2025
On April 21, 2025, the IP attaché team met with Ms. Nusara Kanjanakul, the new Director General of the Thai Department of Intellectual Property (DIP), to discuss a variety of topics, including ongoing IP legislative developments in Thailand, U.S. stakeholder concerns, and potential bilateral cooperation between the USPTO and DIP, including on items outlined in the IP workplan finalized last year.
Bangkok, Thailand - March 2025
On March 5, the IP attaché team in Thailand (including IP attaché Matthew Kohner, fifth from right) and the Economic Section of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok participated in an intellectual property rights awareness event at MBK Center, a shopping mall in Bangkok. The mall is on the U.S. Trade Representative’s Notorious Markets List. The event, organized by the Thailand Department of Intellectual Property and led by Director General Nusara Kanjanakul (fifth from left), was part of a broader public outreach campaign aimed at promoting IP protection and enforcement. The campaign included five events that took place in February and March.
Quito, Ecuador - October 2024
The USPTO’s IP attaché in the Andean region, Jennifer Chicoski (second from right), presents a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the USPTO and the Tribunal de Justicia de la Comunidad Andina (Court of Justice of the Andean Community) on October 28, 2024, in Quito, Ecuador. The MOU solidifies the collaborative working relationship between the two entities.