Pre-accession Training on the Hague Agreement and Regional Workshop on the Madrid Protocol

In November 2021, ARISE+ IPR organised ‘Pre-accession training on the Hague Agreement’ and ‘Regional Workshop on the Madrid Protocol’. The event provided ongoing support to the ASEAN Member States (AMS) in their pre-accession and post-accession to the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs and the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks. It followed on from previous studies and training implemented under the framework of the Annual Work Plan 1-3.

The Pre-accession training on the Hague Agreement took place on 10 and 11 November 2021. It was intended for design examiners from ASEAN IP offices that have not yet acceded to the Hague Agreement. The training was designed to familiarise officials with the Hague System procedures before the system is implemented. The discussion points included the latest developments of the Hague System, the role of the WIPO International Bureau, the role of an IP office as the office of a contracting party, the practices on implementing the Hague system, and other pre-accession legal preparatory works.

The Regional workshop on the Madrid Protocol took place on 16 and 17 November 2021. It allowed trade mark examiners and IT and legal officials across the ASEAN IP offices to exchange best practices on the operation of the Madrid Protocol. The event also included a roundtable discussion on the challenges and possible solutions faced by the ASEAN Member States.