Thailand, October 15-16, 2019 - Intellectual Property (IP) officials representing eight ASEAN Member States met in Bangkok to finalise the review and validation of tools developed under Phase II of the Intellectual Property Public Education and Awareness (IPPEA) Project. These tools include a "Handbook on IP Commercialisation - Strategies for Managing IPRs and Maximizing Value"; "A Business Guide to IP Institutions, Laws and Filing Processes in AANZFTA Parties"; and an "IP for Business" portal in the AANZFTA website.

The IPPEA Project aims to increase the awareness of the business community and creators of IP in the AANZFTA region on the opportunities that knowledgeable and effective management of IP rights entails for the success of their companies, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and business endeavours. SMEs are important in supporting sustained economic growth in the region, as they form the backbone of the economy and can provide a strong foundation for the growth and development of new industries. The protection of IP is thus significant to not only promote innovation but also assert legal rights over IP values to these assets. Raising awareness of the aforesaid will enhance their opportunities to expand their businesses by utilizing their IP assets through effective IP management.

Ms Nusara Kanjanakul, Deputy Director-General, Department of Intellectual Property of Thailand noted "This two-day workshop is a forum for respective IP offices to exchange their views and experiences on IP awareness and to provide the opportunity to get valuable comments on the output documents and make sure that they serve us in developing and escalating ASEAN IP Awareness measures in the years to come." 

In this context, the IP officials represented at the workshop agreed on specific actions that each office should take in order to enhance the impact and foster utilization of these new tools. As a result of the workshop, both publications were validated along with the structure and format of the new webpage.

"We can tap IPOPHL’s IP Academy, our professional patent attorneys and patent agents from our Innovation and Technology Support Offices (ITSOs), and other important stakeholders to promote the Handbook and the Guide. We can also connect the Handbook and the Guide with our IP Depot, as well as with another online facility. I’m sure both publications will be extremely useful for the Philippines, especially for our big network of ITSOs - our version of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Technology and Innovation Support Centres." Mr Adrian Sablan, Assistant Chief of Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) stated.

The workshop was supported under the AANZFTA Economic Cooperation Support Program (AECSP) and organised by the ASEAN Secretariat in collaboration with the IP Promotion and Development Office, Department of Intellectual Property of Thailand.