The Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA) has appointed Hari Subramaniam as its first Indian President-elect.

Subramaniam will take over as APAA's first-ever President from India in the 74th council meeting and the General Assembly which will be held in Singapore in October 2023.

Subramaniam admitted to the Bar in 1981. He has been in practice for over 40 years, specialising in all aspects of intellectual property law. He was associated with Remfry & Sagar for nearly 17 years, before founding IP law firm Subramanian & Associates.

APAA was founded in 1969 by Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. India was inducted as the 14th recognized group in 1994 through the efforts of leading IPR lawyer Pravin Anand.

The first President of the APAA (Indian Group) was Senior Advocate KTS Tulsi (1994 to 1999), followed by Pravin Anand (1999 to 2003), Jyoti Sagar (2003 to 2006), Amarjit Singh (2006 to 2010), Hari Subramaniam (2010 to 2013; 2016 to 2020), Justice Prathiba M Singh (2013 to 2016), and Sudeep Chatterjee, Partner at Singh & Singh (2020-present).

The APAA India Chapter is the largest IP organization in India. With 381 active members, it is the third largest recognized group in Asia after Japan (630) and Korea (400).

With its first-ever International President from India, the India Group is expected to regain its second position before the next council meeting in Singapore.