“The world faces many challenges, and having ASEAN solidarity will be beneficial across the region. The ASEAN Intellectual Property Association (ASEAN IPA) community can help foster that cooperation,” Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac, outgoing president of the association and managing partner at Vision & Associates in Hanoi, said at the opening of their annual general meeting.

Expanding on the work of the association over the last 12 months, Bac highlighted the success of the 2024 annual meeting in Jakarta, with 270 delegates from 16 countries, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Capital Intellectual Property Services Association (CIPSA). The MOU aims to expand cooperation between the two organizations in several areas, including event planning, meetings, study groups and seminars, and to develop training and IP services for industry and the public.

In a discussion about the proposed Pan-ASEAN Trademark Application (PATMA) System, which is part of an ASEAN IPA project, counsel member Aleli Quirino, of counsel at ACCRALAW in Manila, explained that the association will continue to develop and promote the system and acknowledged that she is hoping to give a more positive report by the end of 2025. There was a need to convince regulators that the proposal was for the benefit of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and not for the benefit of lawyers, she said.

Sovath Phin, founding partner of SDS & Partners in Phnom Penh, accepting the baton as the new president of the ASEAN IPA, said it was an honour to take on the role and expressed his commitment to continue growing the association in terms of numbers and influence. “The ASEAN IPA plays a vital role in promoting IP rights and cooperation. Challenges are complex, and we must continue to adapt,” he said.

According to Phin, the priorities for the next two years are as follows:

• Strengthening regional cooperation
• Expanding the influence of ASEAN IPA and fostering international partnerships
• Promoting education and expanding the knowledge base of members
• Enhancing membership engagement

Phin addressed the delegates: “I call upon each of you to join us in shaping the future of IP in the region.”

The ASEAN IPA annual general meeting is being held February 14-15, 2025 in Siem Reap. The 2026 meeting will be held in Phuket, Thailand.

- Darren Barton, reporting from Siem Reap