South-East Asia

Producers and producer associations, representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Department of Trade and Industry, Food and Drug Administration, and other stakeholders provided perspectives on the development of a sui generis protection system for geographical indications (GIs) at a consultation meeting organised by IP Key SEA and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) in Manila on 6 February.

IP Key SEA organised a consultation meeting with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines in Manila, Philippines, on 6 February to obtain the viewpoints of stakeholders on the development of the country’s geographical indications (GI) system. Participants included producers from different parts of the country, representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, and other stakeholders.

As of 23 January 2019 the Brunei Intellectual Property Office (BruIPO) has made its trade mark and design data available to the TMview and DesignView search tools.

With BruIPO on board TMview and DesignView now contain data from 68 participating offices.

The integration of BruIPO in TMview and DesignView is a concrete result of the IP Key South East Asia programme directed by the European Commission and executed by the EUIPO.

IP Key SEA and the European Patent Office (EPO) held a ‘Train-the-Trainers’ programme for patent examiners from ten IP offices across Southeast Asia. The event was a follow-up to the series of workshops held by the EPO for Southeast Asian IP offices during which training modules were prepared for use as part of the respective training programs of the offices. The representatives from the IP offices are expected to report on the progress of the integration of these training modules into internal training programs and the challenges they encountered. 

IP Key SEA and the European Patent Office (EPO) conducted a ‘Train-the-trainers’ programme for patent examiners from ten IP offices across Southeast Asia in Cambodia on 3-4 December.

The benefits to farmers, plant breeders, and to the economic development of membership of countries to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV Convention) were discussed with officials from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Viet Nam at an IP Key SEA conference in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on 8-9 November. 

IP Key SEA organised a study visit on plant variety protection (PVP) in Viet Nam on 5-6 November for officials from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Co-organised by the Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam, the activity highlighted the benefits of a strong PVP system and of membership in the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV Convention).

High-level officials from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Viet Nam attended an IP Key SEA conference in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on 8-9 November to discuss plant variety protection (PVP) within the international framework. Immediately following a study visit on PVP in Vietnam, the conference highlighted the benefits and opportunities of PVP and of membership to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV Convention).

IP Key SEA organised a study visit on plant variety protection (PVP) in Viet Nam on 5-6 November for high-level officials from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. Co-organised by the Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam, the activity  provided a practical understanding of the benefits of a strong PVP system and of membership in the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV Convention).

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.