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The Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) is a
trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. An industry tra ...
that is composed of owners of
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
, represented mostly by in-house corporate counsel and private practice attorneys practicing in the field, and other parties interested in intellectual property law. According to it "About IPO" page, the organization is composed of about 200 companies and more than 12,000 individuals who are involved in the association either through their companies or as IPO inventor, author, executive, law firm or attorney members. IPO’s corporate members file about 30 percent of the patent applications filed in the USPTO each year by U.S. nationals.
The Association advocates for reforms of patent, trademark and other intellectual property laws (in front of Congress and the courts) that it believes will advantage its members and the users of intellectual property systems, and it is often consulted by governments to provide an opinion on proposed changes in law as
bellwether
A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether " ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Ret ...
for how the relevant communities will be impacted by the proposed change.
In addition, the Association provides continuing legal education (CLE) for attorneys in the IP field in a variety o "conferences and seminars" throughout the year.
See also
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Intellectual property organization
Intellectual property organizations are organizations that are focused on copyrights, trademarks, patents, or other intellectual property law concepts. This includes international intergovernmental organizations that foster governmental cooperatio ...