Singapore and Japan Conducted Joint Intellectual Property Programme for ASEAN

1 The IP Academy, the training arm and a member of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, conducted a 5-day customised programme on Intellectual Property (IP) for ASEAN from 13 to 17 October 2014. The programme was jointly sponsored by the Singapore Cooperation Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Japan – Singapore Partnership Programme for the 21st Century.

2 The Principal Representative for ASEAN Coordination, Mr. Nakagawa Hiroaki; Assistant Director, Technical Cooperation Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore, Ms. Angeline Szeto; and Executive Director of IP Academy, Ms. Chiam Lu Lin welcomed the delegation from ASEAN nations such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines and Vietnam. Also in attendance was Mr. Keita Machimura, Second Secretary, Political Affairs/ Administration Embassy of Japan in Singapore, emphasising the significance of the Japan – Singapore partnership. 

3 In its third run, the programme enabled participants from IP offices and related organisations in ASEAN to better understand Singapore and Japan’s experiences in managing IP rights and implementing IP information policies.

4 Mr. Dindo Dumali, IP Rights Specialist, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau, Philippines, said, “I think the programme is very good, especially in terms of having a new perspective on how IP is viewed in different countries. Indeed, ASEAN countries, if united, will really be a force, and having such a programme like this is a big step towards that goal. I hope more collaborations like this will take place in the near future. Thank you for the great time as well as lessons learned!”

5 Ms. Chiam Lu Lin, Executive Director of IP Academy, said “We are happy to work with MFA to run the third edition of this programme for our ASEAN delegates. We are certain they will benefit greatly from the pool of IP experts and practitioners that we have in line for them. We look forward to working with MFA for future runs and hope that more will benefit from the programme.”