A roundtable discussion between EU and Indonesian experts was held in Jakarta on 24 October to share recent developments in relation to the new patent law of Indonesia as well as international best practices on patent examination procedures. Representatives from the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP) of Indonesia, the Delegation of the European Union to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, European Patent Office (EPO), and IP Key SEA participated in the dialogue.

IP Key SEA organised dialogues in Viet Nam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia on 17 - 24 October for local customs authorities to share expertise on IP enforcement practices and border control measures with EU experts. The activity aimed to further intensify the level of coordination and engagement of local law enforcement authorities in curtailing trade in IPR infringing goods.

IP Key Latin America, with the support of the National Institute of Industrial Property of Brazil (INPI) and of the European Patent Office (EPO), hosted a workshop in Rio de Janeiro on the use of free patent information tools of the EPO.  The activity is in line with the experience of the European Union Intellectual Property Network which promotes the adoption of common practices and the development and deployment of technological tools that help improve the functioning of IP offices and provide easy access to information on patents, trademarks and designs.

IP Key LA organized a series of seminars in Peru and Ecuador, in collaboration with CPVO, UPOV, INDECOPI, SENADI, and the CAN. These events took place in the final days of august, with the objectives of promoting best practices and generating awareness about plant varieties protection.

As of 22 October 2018 the National Registry of the Republic of Costa Rica (RNPCR) has made its trade mark and design data available to the TMview and DesignView search tools.

With RNPCR on board TMview and DesignView, both tools now contain data from 68 participating offices.

With the addition of more than 275.000 trade marks from RNPCR, TMview provides information and access to more than 51,9 million trade marks in total. DesignView contains more than 14,1 million designs, including more than 1700 designs from RNPCR.

IP Key LA and the EU brought their experience in convergence and harmonization criteria to the Trade mark Experts Sub Regional Workshop of Central American countries and the Dominican Republic jointly organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and The General Direction of Intellectual Property of Honduras (DIGEPIH).

From 11-14 December, IP Key China, in partnership with DG TAXUD and the General Administration of Customs of China, organised a visit of a delegation of Chinese customs representatives to the European Union. During their visits to airports and seaports in Italy and The Netherlands, the EU and Chinese customs officers exchanged knowledge and experience on practical cooperation on IPR enforcement.

At a time where management/licensing of rights and copyright commercialization is dramatically transformed by the development of digital marketplaces and disruptive technologies, the European Commission and the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC), with the technical support of IP Key China, partnered in the organisation of a two-day event addressed at China’s copyright public and private sectors, to take place in Guangzhou (Guangdong, China) on December 17-18, 2018.

On 25 November to 4 December 2018, IP Key China travelled with a delegation from the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) and IP courts in China, for judicial exchanges in Brussels, Luxembourg and Munich. During the visits, the Chinese delegates met with top officials and judges from the European Commission, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) of the EU and the European Patent Office. The delegation had an opportunity to discuss judicial and legislative mechanisms including court procedure, usage of technology and solutions to the growing number of IP cases in the EU and China.

Promotion of EU/Hong Kong customs cooperation on IPR enforcement working Group meeting in Brussels and Study visit to Germany, Belgium and France. 4-7 December

IP Key China partnered with DG TAXUD and the Hong Kong Customs & Excise Department the organisation of the visit. EU and HK Customs Officers participated in meetings and “on-the-job” visits to EU airports, seaports and relevant customs offices. The visit aimed at exchange knowledge on risk assessment methodology and control approach.