Representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Home Affairs and SME assistance body, Darussalam Enterprise, provided insights on the potential development of a sui generis system for protecting geographical indications (GIs) at a meeting organised by IP Key SEA and the Brunei Intellectual Property Office (BruIPO) in Bandar Seri Begawan on 4 March.

IP Key LA organized, along with the Peruvian IP Office (INDECOPI) a Regional Seminar on Geographical Indications and Trade Marks. The activity consisted of a one and half-day event that took place in Lima in March 28th and 29th.

After the success of Mercosur and Chile Roving Seminars for SME´s in 2018, IP Key LA is organizing a new edition of this activity. The one-day IP Roving Seminar will take place in March 2019 in Mexico City, Guatemala City, San Salvador and San José.

The events are aimed at European and local SMEs and seek to disseminate best practices in the use of IP assets for the development of their businesses, as well as publicizing the mechanisms of use and protection of IPR available to them.

IP Key SEA organised a consultation meeting with the Brunei Intellectual Property Office (BruIPO), several government ministries, and local producers on 4 March to obtain the viewpoints of stakeholders on the development of a sui generis geographical indications (GI) system in the country.

Officials from IP Vietnam met with IP Key SEA representatives to discuss new national trademark examination guidelines on 21-22 February.

During the meeting, EUIPO External Legal Expert Octavio Espinosa presented the EUIPO Trademark Examination Guidelines as the model for the Viet Nam guidelines. Discussions also focused on the methodology and timeline for drafting the new guidelines, as well as the structure of the guidelines based on the EUIPO model as adapted to the trademark laws and regulations of Viet Nam.

IP Key SEA held a meeting with IP Viet Nam officials, trademark examiners and local IP practitioners in Hanoi on 21-22 February to discuss the drafting of the new national trademark examination guidelines.

IT officials and managers from the IP offices of Southeast Asia met with IP Key SEA and European Patent Office (EPO) representatives in Bangkok on 20-21 February to work through data sharing mechanisms that will lead to enhanced services for both local and international users.