Building IP Capacity in ASEAN Through Technical Assistance

Each year, the WIPO Singapore Office organizes the annual informal meeting of the IP technical assistance providers in ASEAN. This forum is an important group as it ensures technical assistance efforts are not duplicated and learning outcomes are shared to maximize the value of the assistance provided.

The June 2021 meeting was well attended with participation from the European Union Intellectual Property Office, the Japan External Trade Organization, IP Australia, the UK IP Office, and the US Patent and Trademark Office. WIPO’s Division for Asia and the Pacific also joined the meeting as a positive example of the horizontal integration that is taking place in WIPO.

The main component of the agenda provided an opportunity for each organization to deliver a report on their revised approach to capacity development and technical assistance under the COVID-19 situation since the last meeting of the group in April 2020. Participants were also asked to identify new ways to collaborate during these uncertain times.

The exchanges revealed that each organization had been able to successfully convert the vast majority of their planned activities into virtual activities. This has meant that the ASEAN region continued to benefit from the expertise of the donor organizations.

Background

In 2013 the WIPO Singapore Office (WSO) initiated the first informal meeting of the IP Technical Assistance Providers (IPTAPs) working in ASEAN. Since then the group, which consists of the IP attachés from France, the UK and the USA, along with representatives from IP Australia, Japan (JETRO), the EPO and the EUIPO, has met at least once a year.