The activity continues the progressive approach adopted since Phase I of the IP Key SEA project, which advocates for the adoption of voluntary agreements or Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between intermediaries, service providers, and IPR owners in SEA, to be implemented under the supervision of the respective national IP authorities as a means of reinforcing the fight against counterfeiting and piracy in both online and offline environments.

This activity seeks to enhance the skills and capacities of SEA IP Mediation officials by sharing effective strategies and procedures for resolving IPR disputes through mediation. This benefits EU businesses as the efficiency and accessibility of IP mediation proceedings in the SEA countries is enhanced, providing a feasible alternative to costly and drawn-out litigation.

The activity continues the project’s efforts to contribute to establishing a body of practice among senior SEA judges and/or prosecutors who regularly deal with intellectual property protection and enforcement issues. During the colloquium SEA judges are presented with the EU approach on relevant topics of IP adjudication, including prominent EU case-law on IP issues that are also being encountered in the SEA judicial systems.

The activity is aimed at promoting the EU sui generis GI system, improving compliance with strict standards of GI control to national authorities responsible for GIs at the policy and operational levels, and expounding on the need for stronger GI control and enforcement mechanisms to further enhance national GI systems.

The exhibits organised in the different SEA countries are aimed at promoting EU GIs that are already in the various markets in SEA, as well as raising awareness on the benefits of a sui generis GI system and its positive impact on rural development and sustainability. The exhibits also provide an opportunity for GI producers of agricultural, craft, and industrial products in EU Member States to explore new markets in the SEA region.

This activity is aimed at the convergence and harmonisation of practices in the areas of trade marks and industrial designs for the benefit of EU businesses and stakeholders in SEA countries. The IT tools that may be made available by the EUIPO to SEA IP Offices and those already accessible to the trade mark and design officials are also presented.

The roving seminars consist of presentations on the benefits of trade mark and industrial design protection at the national level in SEA countries and at the EU level. Issues relating to the enforcement of trade marks and designs, both online and offline, are also covered, and potentially, so are discussions on the international trade mark and design systems.

This activity will discuss recent copyrights and related rights policy developments in both the EU and in the SEA countries, while opening discussions for the exchange of best practices in tackling emerging digital technologies and their implications on copyright and related rights protection and enforcement.

Read the news story and check out the presentation here.

The activity entails the continuation of the advanced training programme that the project has been undertaking in collaboration with the European Patent Office (EPO). The training features efficient search and examination tools and practices for the senior patent examiners of the participating SEA countries.

The activity entails the organisation of a webinar to promote awareness on trade secrets, focusing on their protection and enforcement, taking into account advancements in digital technology and the economic impact of misappropriation of trade secrets.

Trade Secrets in the EU
Plamen Ivanov and Vitoria Alves
European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)