Umami's Team attending EUIPO-IPTAB Tertulia in Alicante: Insights for Global IP Portfolios

This week, Umami Law's Team is attending the EUIPO-IPTAB Tertulia in Alicante. It’s a valuable chance to be there in person, meeting with friends and colleagues from the EUIPO Boards of Appeal, the Korean Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board (IPTAB), and the wider Alicante IP community.

What’s the Tertulia About?

The event focuses on comparing how EUIPO and IPTAB handle trade mark and design appeals, covering topics like absolute and relative grounds for refusal and the growing role of mediation and alternative dispute resolution in IP disputes.

Speakers include senior representatives from both offices:

• Sven Stürmann, President of the EUIPO Boards of Appeal

• Jo Hyunjoo, Deputy Director, IPTAB

• Park Jaewon, Administrative Trademark Judge, IPTAB

• Alejandra González Fernández, Member of the EUIPO 1st Board of Appeal

Why It Matters for Us and Our Clients

Attending these face-to-face meetings is a privilege—it gives us direct access to how key decision-makers think about their work, beyond what’s written in judgments or guidelines. It’s also a unique chance to reconnect with friends and colleagues in Alicante.

For our clients with global portfolios, especially those with interests in Korea, these insights are important. Understanding how IPTAB approaches appeals and how this compares with EUIPO practice helps us give more informed advice on global prosecution strategies.