In December 2019, IT officials from Cambodia and Lao PDR together with the EUIPO’s IT experts discussed the future integrations of both counties to TMclass (one of the IT tools developed by the European Union Intellectual Property Network (EUIPN) and the EU IP offices).
ARISE+ IPR carried out a study on the role and involvement of women in community-based industries related to IPR in the ASEAN under the Annual Work Plan 3-2020. The content includes a comparative analysis of key community-based and women-led industries across the ASEAN, a discussion on women’s relationships with the IP landscape in the region and a showcase of products from relevant sectors.
In March 2021, the ARISE+ IPR programme launched the online training modules for all the ASEAN Member States and the relevant officials within each IP office on the ARISE+ IPR website and the EUIPO e-learning portal to support the implementation of the ASEAN IP Academy. The feasibility of establishing the ASEAN IP Academy is one of the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2016-2025’s initiatives.
Following the ‘IT Training on the Maintenance and Update of ASEAN TMview and ASEAN DesignView’ at the European Union Intellectual Property Office’s (EUIPO) headquarters in December 2019, the ARISE+ IPR programme continues to assist the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) IP offices in the updating and maintenance of the ASEAN IT Tools and enhance the ASEAN Member States’ capacity to manage their regional tools in a sustainable
After depositing its instrument of accession to the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) on 22nd Feb 2021, on March 22nd 2021 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has become the seventy-seventh member of UPOV.
After the well-received webinars intended to enhance the skills and capacity of design examiners of IP Offices in CARIFORUM states, on 9 April CarIPI organised an additional session, with the involvement of experts from the EUIPO and the CARIFORUM region. During this session, stakeholders exchanged best practices on the subject of design invalidity and cancellation proceedings.
The training was conducted via Zoom in meeting mode, which allowed interaction with the audience through the chat facility or by directly posing questions.
On 6t April, CarIPI organised a webinar, together with CPVO and UPOV, on plant varieties protection, with a focus on "independence in the conduct of DUS examination and management of conflict of interest". The main target audience were the Plant Varieties Offices, IPOs and technical bodies involved in R&D and DUS examination of the Dominican Republic, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago, given their advanced situation regarding PVRs. Nevertheless, relevant stakeholders in other CARIFORUM countries were also very welcome to join.
On 31st March CarIPI reviewed the draft GI Model Law with CARIFORUM States (consultation process).
The Executive Director of the EUIPO, Christian Archambeau, held a virtual meeting with Mr Bemanya Twebaze, the new Director General of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) on 11 March 2021.
The main objective of the meeting was to review the current status of activities in both Offices and agree on future steps for cooperation.
The Twinning Project ‘Trademarks and Industrial Designs Office’ was initiated on the 20 January 2020 and is scheduled to be implemented over a period of 18 months. The overall objective of the Project is to strengthen the protection of trade marks and industrial designs in Egypt.