ASEAN IP Register Coordinator Meeting
January 2, 2024
From November 6 to 10, 2023, WIPO, together with the Directorate General of Intellectual Property of Indonesia and ASEAN Secretariat, co-organized a ASEAN IP Register Coordinator Meeting in Lombok, Indonesia, with support from Funds-In-Trust Japan Industrial Property Global (FIT/Japan IP Global). The meeting welcomed 22 officials from IP offices in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam as well as ASEAN Secretariat.
The objectives of the Meeting included (i) to discuss the future priorities and business requirements of the ASEAN IP Register, which was officially launched in August, 2023 as a one-stop portal for ASEAN IP information. This includes identifying the needs of IP stakeholders in the region, and developing strategies to meet those needs; ii) to develop the governance structure and mandates for the ASEAN IP Register. This includes determining the roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders, and ensuring that the Register is managed in a transparent and efficient manner; iii) to ensure the seamless delivery of business services through the ASEAN IP Register Portal. This includes ensuring that the portal is user-friendly and accessible to all stakeholders, and that it provides the information and services that they need; iv) to promote the use of the ASEAN IP Register by IP stakeholders. This includes raising awareness of the Register and its benefits, and providing training and support to users.
The Meeting welcomed 22 officials in person who are deputy director generals or officials in charge of IT management from IP offices in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam as well as ASEAN Secretariat.
Among the outcomes of the meeting
During the Meeting, a consensus emerged on crucial roles that ASEAN IP Register plays in fostering transparency and efficiency for both businesses and governments, including:
- Increased transparency and efficiency: by providing a central repository of accurate and up-to-date information, the IP Register streamlines processes and reduces the time and effort required for managing IP portfolios.
- Improved decision-making: businesses and governments can leverage the IP Register data to make informed decisions about their IP portfolios, identify potential competitors, research new markets, and track application statuses.
- Reduced risk: the IP Register helps to mitigate the risk of IP infringement and disputes by enabling businesses and governments to readily identify and protect their intellectual property rights.
Regular data updates, streamlined data dissemination processes, and robust data quality control measures were identified as essential elements for ensuring the register's reliability. In addition, participants emphasized the importance of creating an engaging and user-friendly experience. The standardization of ASEAN data was highlighted as a key strategy for ensuring consistency across regional IP Registers. The development of user-centric tools like IP portfolios, statistics, and data coverage maps was also encouraged.
In the Meeting, participants outlined a clear roadmap (2024-2027) for implementing advanced database services designed to further enhance the functionality of the ASEAN IP Register while strategies for promoting the use of the Register to IP stakeholders were also discussed.