ASEAN FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COOPERATION
On 15 December 1995 in Bangkok, Thailand, the governments of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Viet Nam, signed the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Intellectual Property Cooperation.
This Agreement recognises the important role of intellectual property rights in the conduct of trade and the flow of investment among the Member States of ASEAN and the importance of cooperation in intellectual property in the region, as well as expressed a desire to foster closer cooperation in the field of IP and related fields to provide a firm basis for economic progress, the realisation of the ASEAN Free Trade Area and prosperity among the ASEAN Member States.
The Agreement also recognised the need to promote closer cooperation and understanding among the countries in the region in the field of intellectual property and related fields to contribute to regional dynamism, synergy and growth.
For the full text of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Intellectual Property Cooperation, please click here.
ABOUT AWGIPC
The ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) is the sectoral group responsible for IP issues in the region. It is composed of the IP offices of the ASEAN Member States, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
The AWGIPC was established in 1996, pursuant to the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Intellectual Property Cooperation, which was signed by ASEAN Member States in Bangkok, Thailand in 1995.
The work of the AWGIPC is based on the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015.
The target for the AWGIPC is to transform ASEAN into an innovative and competitive region through the use of IP for their nationals and ensuring that the region remains an active player in the international IP community.
Intellectual property policy can serve as a powerful stimulus to
- Cultural, intellectual and artistic creativity and their commercialisation;
- The efficient adoption and adaptation of more advanced technologies; and
- Continuous learning to meet the ever-rising threshold of performance expectations.
Protection of intellectual property rights stimulates creativity and innovation, which in turn spurs progress in industries and leads to national development.
Through the AWGIPC, ASEAN has made concerted efforts since 1996 to improve the regional framework of policies and institutions relating to intellectual property.
ABOUT THE ASEAN IP PORTAL
The ASEAN IP Portal was launched by Thailand in April 2013, in conjunction with World IP Day 2013. Comprising information on ASEAN IP systems, comparative IP-related data, and web links to ASEAN IP Offices, stakeholders of ASEAN Member States can now obtain IP information for the entire ASEAN region via a consolidated platform. This one-stop portal facilitates information flow within the region's IP knowledge network and enables stakeholders to access relevant information such as notices and procedures in a more efficient manner.
The portal is currently hosted and managed by Singapore. Features of the portal include an electronic application form for the ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation (ASPEC) - a programme to help patent applicants obtain high quality search and examination results more quickly in ASEAN. There is also the ASEAN TMview, a powerful tool to search for information on trademark registrations and trademark applications that have effect in the participating ASEAN countries.
Comments and feedback on the portal are welcomed and should be directed to [email protected]
ASEAN IPR ACTION PLANS
For the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2016-2025, please click here.
Since 2004, the work of the AWGIPC was based on the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2004-2010, and the Work Plan for ASEAN Cooperation on Copyrights. With the acceleration of ASEAN economic integration from 2020 to 2015, the AWGIPC prepared a new Work Plan as part of the Blueprint of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) to reflect the new objective of ASEAN.
This document builds on the IPR Action Plan 2004-2010, the Work Plan on Copyrights, and the Work Plan under the AEC Blueprint in order to develop an ASEAN IP System that takes into account the different levels of capacity of the Member States, balances access to IP and protection of IPRs, and responds to the current needs and anticipates future demands of the global IP system.
The ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015 is designed to meet the goals of the AEC by transforming ASEAN into an innovative and competitive region through the use of IP for their nationals and ensuring that the region remains an active player in the international IP community.
For the full text of the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015, please click here.
AWGIPC CHAIRMANSHIP
The list of AWGIPC Chairmanship, from 1998 to the present, is as follows:
| No. | Country | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philippines | February 1998 – July 2000 |
| 2 | Singapore | July 2000 – July 2006 |
| 3 | Malaysia | July 2006 – June 2009 |
| 4 | Philippines | June 2009 – July 2011 |
| 5 | Thailand | July 2011 – July 2013 |
| 6 | Singapore | July 2013 – July 2015 |
| 7 | Brunei | July 2015 – July 2017 |
| 8 | Indonesia | July 2017 – July 2019 |
| 9 | Viet Nam | July 2019 – July 2021 |
| 10 | Philippines | July 2021 – Mar 2023 |
| 11 | Lao People’s Democratic Republic | Mar 2023 – Present |