One of the UK Intellectual Property Office’s excellent initiatives is the IP Attaché network of specially trained staff with local country knowledge and IP expertise. The IPO have updated their guidance in the various country guides which include information on how to use regional databases to help you protect your intellectual property (IP).

The IP attachés are based in China, the Gulf, India, Latin America and the Caribbean, Switzerland, North America, South East Asia and their contact details can be found here.

More in depth overseas guides can be accessed as follows:

IP protection abroad: country guides
Protecting your UK intellectual property abroad
Extension of UK intellectual property rights abroad

See here for the latest IP in Asean Guide: IP in ASEAN guide

British businesses can also access intellectual property guidance and support from the Southeast Asia attaché team, based in the British High Commission in Singapore.

Did you know?

With 650 million people, and a combined GDP of US$3 trillion, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) offers a dynamic and thriving market opportunity for UK businesses. The UK recently signed the IPO first ‘ASEAN-UK Dialogue Partnership plan of action 2022 to 2026’ which will help to strengthen IPO trade and investment links with the region.

What you need to know before you go

If you are thinking of expanding your business or joining popular local e-commerce marketplaces in ASEAN, it is essential to know how to manage and enforce your IP as private property rights. IP rights are territorial, and you may need to register your rights through:

• an international process which allows you to file in several countries at once or,
• an application to national offices responsible for granting IP rights.

Dids Macdonald, OBE., commenting on the IP Attaché network said, “These specialist advisors are without doubt a great resource to help you navigate through some of the IP “hoops” in various countries and ACID has worked positively with many of them for many years.”