ASEAN IP officials discuss potential regional IP academy

Representatives from each of the ASEAN IP offices, the ASEAN Secretariat, and ARISE+ IPR experts attended a workshop in Bangkok on 31 October - 1 November to discuss a feasibility study on the possible establishment of an ASEAN IP Academy and evaluate some preliminary proposals.

The objective of the workshop was to discuss options for the possible setting up of the ASEAN IP Academy, taking into account existing IP academy models, target groups, training methodologies for adult learners, and regional training requirements of stakeholders in the region.  

Participants agreed on the importance of establishing the ASEAN IP academy and provided inputs to the feasibility study currently underway. The study will provide options to establish the ASEAN IP Academy based on desk research and the suggestions made by the officials who attended the workshop. It will also take into account the need for the ASEAN IP Academy to be sustainable in the long term. 

Opening proceedings, ARISE+ IPR Programme Manager Francesca Gilli, Delegation of the European Commission to Thailand, noted the significance of the workshop. “The EU supports the development of intellectual property capacity at a regional level in ASEAN.  A potential ASEAN IP Academy would reach a greater number of stakeholders in the region,” she commented. Presentations on the IP academies of the EU, Singapore, Philippines and Malaysia during the workshop highlighted their distinct operations and services. 

The recommendations made at the workshop will be forwarded to the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC), the regional working group consisting of heads of IP Offices and their representatives from ASEAN Member States.