JAKARTA, 16 September 2021- The second regional workshop of the ‘AANZFTA Enhancement of Trade Mark Quality Management’ Project took place on 14-15 September, convening 67 Intellectual Property Trade Mark officials from all ASEAN Member States, Australia, and New Zealand.

The virtual workshop built upon the quality concepts previously introduced in Workshop One to augment participants’ understanding and capacity to design and implement trade mark quality management practices. The project is supported by the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area Economic Cooperation Support Programme (AECSP).

In his opening remarks, Nelson Laluces, Deputy Director-General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines and also AANZFTA Intellectual Property Committee ASEAN Co-Chair, stated that, "I hope that these learnings will equip all ASEAN member states in the implementation of our respective Action Plans and bring us closer to our shared goal of having a more robust ASEAN IP system.’’

Sharing similar views, Ravine Rendle, Principal Trade Mark Examiner, Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand and AANZFTA Intellectual Property Committee New Zealand Co-Chair, commented that "there’s always so much more that we can learn from the experiences of others to help improve what we do and achieve that goal of quality.’’

‘‘Striving for improved quality and greater consistency in examination decisions will, in turn, contribute to increased business confidence to engage in IP systems, directly supporting businesses to engage in the region,’’ remarked Charlotte Iggulden, Project Lead and Assistant Director, Policy and International Affairs, Policy & Stakeholders Group, IP Australia and AANZFTA Intellectual Property Committee Australian Co-Chair.

Over the two days, participants learned from the sharing of expertise and experiences from IP Australia and other counterparts. They were introduced to the concept of quality management systems followed by how to manage projects on redesigning a quality management system, maintaining ISO 9001 certification, effective delivery of feedback, the value of a quality management system, and how businesses can use it to make informed decisions.

A panel discussion took place on the second day with representatives from IP Australia, the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.

The panellists shared experiences and insights on how their respective IP offices approach and manage trade mark quality. Further, a technical session on the comparison of goods and services in response to training requests to improve consistency in this specific area of examination practice.

IP Australia organised and delivered the workshop with support from the ASEAN Secretariat and the AANZFTA Support Unit (ASU).

For more information on this project or the AECSP, please contact the ASU via a contact form at https://aanzfta.asean.org/contact-aanzfta.

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