EPO and EUIPO support the development of IP Academies in Malaysia and the Philippines

The European Patent Office (EPO) and European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) welcomed their counterparts, representing the Malaysian (MyIPO) and Philippine (IPOPHL) IP Offices, between 12-13 July in Munich and 16-17 July 2018 in Alicante. During the forum, discussions on how to further develop the IP Academies were held. The event aimed to establish stronger links and knowledge sharing between the participating institutions and the EUIPO and EPO Academies.

EPO Academy Director Jean-Michel Zilliox, opened the event presenting an overview of the EPO Academy’s structure and services. IPKey SEA Project Leader Ignacio de Medrano Caballero highlighted the project’s support for the MyIPO and IPOPHL IP Academies: “national IP Academies have an important role, not only in training IP officials, but also in developing IP advocates from other government offices, business community, education and innovation sectors.” He further noted that the success of the plan to establish an ASEAN IP Academy will rely heavily on the knowledge and expertise of the national IP Offices.

The agenda of the event over the four days, included detailed presentations on specific services offered by the EUIPO and EPO IP Academies, their operations, and approaches for the development of IP courses.

IP Academies established by IP Offices conduct onsite and online training courses and offer learning opportunities on various areas covered by IP to a range of stakeholders, such as officials, enforcement agencies, academia, business sector, including Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and consumers. They are considered well-tested and crucial players for the ongoing development of IP knowledge and understanding at a national level.