Since China’s new e-commerce law took effect on 1 January 2019, legislation has been developing around its implementation. The law covers all e-commerce activities, both domestic and cross-border, reflecting the growth of the sector. Issues around the online trade of goods and services and innovation in IP protection have become an important part of the EU’s and China’s economic, legislative and public security agenda.

To conclude the intellectual property webinar series organised by the IP Key South-East Asia (SEA) in 2020, two webinars on industrial designs were held on 1 and 2 December 2020. The webinars covered the design protection in the EU and selected countries in SEA, the need to protect designs, its contribution to the economy, and the latest developments in industrial designs. The IP Key SEA project brought together experts from the EU and SEA to present the webinar series.

Plant variety protection and accession to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV 1991) are important elements of trade agreements negotiated by the EU. Over the first years of implementation of the IP Key SEA project, several activities were organized on plant variety protection in collaboration with the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) and with the cooperation of the UPOV Office, in order to promote a better understanding of the benefits of strong plant variety protection and of UPOV 1991 accession.

On 18 November 2020, GI Experts from the EU engaged in discussions with senior officials from South-East Asian IP Offices in the ‘High Level Virtual Conference on Geographical Indications (GIs)’.

The activity was organised by IP Key South-East Asia (SEA)  to promote the benefits of a sui generis GI system to local communities and rural development, as well as the need for effective control and enforcement mechanisms in ensuring the quality of GIs on the market for the benefit of the consuming public.

To discuss the latest methods to combat counterfeiting in physical and online marketplaces, and in support of the cooperation between EU businesses and enforcement authorities in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, IP Key South-East Asia (SEA) organised a series of online seminars on EU Product Specification, targeting South-East Asian IPR enforcement authorities on 4-5 (Thailand), 12-13 (Indonesia), 16-17 (the Philippines) and 27 (Malaysia) November 2020.

IP Key South-East Asia (SEA) organised Technical Meetings on Enhanced Customs Enforcement Systems with the IP authorities, customs authorities, and EU businesses in Malaysia and Thailand, which took place online on 6 (Thailand) and 11 (Malaysia) November 2020. The participants were looking through the lens of customs authorities in Malaysia and Thailand to identify challenges and concerns regarding customs enforcement in both countries.