South-East Asia

The workshop organised by IP Key SEA in collaboration with the International Trademark Association (INTA) provided a platform for closer cooperation between IPR owners and enforcement authorities. Adopting an interactive format allowing for direct exchanges, it offered information on how authorities in South-East Asia can identify counterfeit goods from genuine products.

Virtual Conference on Enforcement Against IP Crimes - 4 October 2023

The activity builds upon the project’s prior initiatives on industrial designs organised within the framework of IP Key SEA Phase I and supports the need to continue discussing issues and latest developments in the area of industrial designs, including international best practices. The activity will include sharing the latest developments in the EU Community Design regime, and EU best practices that may be considered for adoption as part of efforts to enhance the industrial design protection regimes in the SEA countries.

The conference will focus on the latest developments in the field of trade marks, the impact of technological developments in the protection and enforcement of marks, as well as on the examination work carried out by IP Offices. Topics to be covered will also include improvements in trade mark online tools, the interface between trade marks, domain names, designs, and other issues that have remained important to EU businesses and trade mark stakeholders in SEA.

The activity is aimed at continuing to raise awareness on plant variety protection and the benefits of the UPOV 1991 Act. The seminar focuses on the importance of plant variety protection to address concerns regarding food security and climate change, as well as to promote a better understanding of the issues relevant to strengthening PVP systems and UPOV 1991 Act membership.

Presentations

The activity builds upon the high-level study visits on GIs organised under Phase 1 of the IP Key SEA Project, and aims at continuing to promote the benefits of a 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 emphasising the need for stronger GI control and enforcement mechanisms to improve national GI systems following international standards and best practices.

The activity will focus on the provision of technical support to the integration of data from SEA countries into EUIPO Global tools so that stakeholders in the region will have access to up-to-date and accurate information on trade marks, industrial designs, and geographical indications. The activity also entails the promotion of the tools as part of the other IP Key SEA activities, taking advantage of the different workshops and events, whether virtual or in person.

This activity entails the organisation of workshops on UPOV 1991 to share technical and in-depth information with the PVP, IP, Agriculture, and Trade Offices of the SEA countries. The objective of the activity is to contribute to the enhancement of plant variety protection systems in the SEA countries by supporting their accession to UPOV 1991 and promoting the benefits of a strong PVP system to national stakeholders.

5 December 2023: Jakarta, Indonesia

The activity entails the continued provision of technical support to the relevant SEA countries towards the establishment or strengthening of GI sui generis systems. The technical assistance provided are tailored to the specific needs of the target countries, building upon the results and outcomes of prior GI activities undertaken by IP Key SEA.

The activity aims to contribute to enhancing the search and examination capabilities of SEA patent examiners by sharing international and European best practices on patent prosecution. The workshops will cover the fields of invention commonly applied for by EU businesses in the partner SEA countries, and will include advanced modules on patent search and examination involving complex applications.

• 12-14 June 2023: Thailand
• 19-21 June 2023: Vietnam

Following the recent changes of the IP legal framework in Vietnam, the activity will entail the organisation of seminars and engagement events with EU businesses and IPR owners in Vietnam in order to increase awareness and understanding of the changes under the amended IP law.