Asean IP offices' meeting in Bangkok focuses on advance regional trademark system
A regional trademark registration system was top on the agenda of a two-day meeting of Asean’s national intellectual property (IP) offices held in Bangkok, according to a press release.
During the meeting today, the delegates discussed the scope of a feasibility study to be conducted by the European Union-funded ARISE+ IPR programme, which will consider aspects such as legal infrastructure, operational set-up, fee structures, stakeholder interests, and the impact on national trademark systems.
The press release issued by ARISE+ IPR office revealed the IP-intensive industry is now increasingly at the heart of Southeast Asia’s economic growth. Protecting IP rights means protecting innovation and ideas and the commercial value of a business.
Asean-wide policies and systems to enforce IP rights protection help both local and international businesses across the region.
A regional trademark system would potentially reduce the time for businesses to register their trademarks across all ten Asean member states and create greater certainty on registration procedures, ultimately improving the ease for businesses to operate in the region and fostering new investment.
Currently, businesses are required to file a separate trademark application in each Asean nation, or consider an international filing through the Madrid system for participating countries. Regional trademark systems already operate in the EU and in the French-speaking African states.
“The discussions today represent a significant step forward on the path of regional integration and the convergence of IP systems in Asean, and towards the economic benefits that result,” noted ARISE+ IPR Project Leader Ignacio de Medrano Caballero during opening proceedings.
Other regional initiatives discussed included updates to the Asean trademark examination guidelines and the establishment of an Asean IP academy.
The feasibility study on a regional trademark system is one of a series of activities being conducted by the five-year, EU-funded ARISE+ IPR programme to promote regional integration of intellectual property regulation in Asean nations.
The ARISE Plus Intellectual Property Rights (ARISE+ IPR) programme is one of the components under the Enhanced Asean Regional Integration Support from the European Union (EU), or ARISE Plus. The five-year, €5.5 million ARISE+ IPR programme supports regional integration through intellectual property (IP) cooperation and aims to upgrade the IP systems for creation, protection