The EUIPO’s 2024 achievements through IP Key South-East Asia
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has made significant contributions to the intellectual property (IP) landscape of South-East Asia through the EU-funded IP Key South-East Asia (IP Key SEA) Project. The EUIPO has championed EU and international standards, driven discussions, and shared best practices in all areas of IP across the region.
One of the key achievements in 2024 was the integration of Vietnam's industrial design data into the DESIGNview search tool in February giving Vietnam´s data worldwide visibility and transparency. This integration has enhanced the tool's capabilities, providing users with access to over 22 million industrial designs. Following public databases such as DESIGNview or TMview, the EUIPO was the first to fully embrace the challenge of offering free-of-charge quality data in an effort to foster market openness and transparency.
The EUIPO also organized several activities on emerging IP topics throughout the year, including a webinar on trade secrets in the EU and South-East Asia, and a meeting with Southeast Asian judges and senior legal officials to discuss potential cooperation on IP enforcement. These activities demonstrate the EUIPO's commitment to promoting IP protection and enforcement in the region.
In addition to these activities, the EUIPO organized several multi-day and multi-country events, including seminars and exhibitions of geographical indications (GIs) in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. These events aimed to promote the importance of GIs and provide a platform for EU and Thai producers to showcase their products.
The EUIPO also responded to new technological advancements by organizing a copyright conference to address the challenges of the creative sectors in the face of AI. Furthermore, two advanced training programs were conducted for senior patent examiners from Indonesia and Malaysia, focusing on computer-implemented inventions (CII) and biotechnology.
As part of its efforts to promote amicable dispute settlement and cooperation in IP protection and enforcement, the EUIPO organized a conference on mediation and a forum on the use of voluntary cooperation mechanisms to combat counterfeiting. These events featured experts from the EUIPO and national IP offices across South-East Asia.
In conclusion, the EUIPO's 2024 achievements through the IP Key South-East Asia Project demonstrate its commitment to promoting IP protection and enforcement in the region. The EUIPO will continue to work with its partners to build a stronger IP system in South-East Asia and promote the use of IP rights to support innovation and economic growth.
In addition to the aforementioned activities, it is crucial to support ASEAN countries in their efforts to converge on IP matters through the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC). This support extends to advancements in IP resulting from trade negotiations and national activities.