The European Union partners with ASEAN countries to further regional integration through enhanced management, protection and enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). 

Funded by the European Union (EU), the EUR 5.5 million 'Arise + Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)’ programme is implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), an EU agency based in Alicante, Spain. Through close cooperation with the ASEAN countries and the private sector in the next 5 years, the project aims to:

ü     Create a robust IPR system by supporting the ASEAN Intellectual Property (IP) offices to deliver timely, quality and accessible trademark and design services to their users

ü     Enhance the ASEAN Economic Community by developing platforms and creating infrastructures

ü     Extend the ASEAN IP Networks and their engagement

ü     Create a regional mechanism to promote asset creation and commercialisation, focusing particularly on Geographical Indications (GI)

ü     Increase awareness on the importance of IP and its value for the national economies and for businesses

Arise + IPR builds on the strong cooperation developed between the European Union and the ASEAN countries and will support ASEAN in reaching its goals set out in the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2016 – 2025. The project also aims to support greater economic integration in the ASEAN region through the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2015.

Quote from Ambassador Francisco Fontan, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to ASEAN:  "Intellectual Property Right is at the heart of economic growth in modern economies in the EU and in ASEAN,  promoting innovation, creating jobs and reinforcing competitiveness. The EU is proud to support this new initiative which will bring our two regions even closer through capacity building, harmonization of standards and, ultimately, sustainable development."

NEXT STEPS

Regional activities will be organised targeting ASEAN as a whole and aimed at promoting regional harmonisation, convergence of practice, coordination and cooperation. ARISE + IPR continues to pursue the ‘enhanced cooperation’ approach adopted already under the previous regional IPR project.

One of the priorities of Arise + IPR is to support ASEAN IP offices in their objective to improve the services they provide to their users and stakeholders. Actions foreseen are, amongst others, offering to interested IP offices a set of online tools that will support the creation of an ASEAN trade mark registration system. Arise + IPR will also look for synergies and best practice among all ASEAN IP offices.  This approach shall contribute to increased quality in the examination of IPRs and it shall offer users and stakeholders an increased predictability on the outcome of the examination process. Convergence alone would not suffice hence, the project will also support the IP offices in setting up common examination guidelines and in promoting an increased use of the ASEAN common guidelines.

BACKGROUND

The European Union (EU) and ASEAN have been cooperating in the field of IP for almost three decades starting back in 1993.  Arise + IPR, launched today, builds on previous projects in the field of IP such as ECAP, ECAP II and ECAP III.

The projects had a number of deliverables, including, notably, the creation of ASEAN TMview, ASEANTMclass, ASEAN DesignView and the ASEAN GI database. These regional IP tools contain 3,689,757 trademarks, 162,776 industrial designs and 178 GIs. On the other hand, trademarks from ASEAN countries made available through TMview are 1,301,908 (out of 46,210,346). TMview is a global trade mark search database built by EUIPO and the EU national and regional intellectual property office partners, which is freely and instantly accessible online and updated daily.

ABOUT THE EUIPO

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) is a decentralised agency of the European Union, based in Alicante, Spain. It manages the registration fo the European Union trade mark (EUTM) and the registered Community design (RCD), both of which provide intellectual property protection in all 28 Member States, as well as carrrying out cooperation activities with the national and regional intellectual property offices of the EU. On behalf of the EU, EUIPO is also implementing other EU-funded projects, which fall under the Partnership Instrument and are coordinated by DG Trade. These projects are implemented in China (People’s Republic), Latin America and South East Asia.