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Intellectual Property Rights Experts' Group |
Intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and enforcement is a key factor for promoting foreign trade and investment, as well as for boosting economic development. In recognition of its importance, in 1995 APEC included IPR in the Osaka Action Agenda.
In 1996, the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI) established an Intellectual Property Rights Get-Together (IPR-GT) to ensure adequate and effective protection, through legislative, administrative and enforcement mechanisms, of intellectual property rights in the Asia-Pacific region based on the principles of the World Trade Organisation's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) and other related agreements. In 1997, the CTI reconstituted the IPR-GT as a sub-group with explicit terms of reference and renamed it the Intellectual Property Rights Experts' Group (IPEG).
The IPEG implements a work program which aims to -
- Deepen the dialogue on intellectual property policy.
- Survey and exchange information on the current status of IPR protection and administrative systems.
- Study measures for the effective enforcement of IPR.
- Fully implement the TRIPS Agreement.
- Facilitate technical cooperation to help economies implement TRIPS.
Achievements
The 27th IPEG meeting was held on August 15-16, 2008 in Lima, Peru. Representatives from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) participated in the meeting. Members agreed that IPEG will continue its work under the APEC Anti-counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative, as well as the APEC Cooperation Initiative on Patent Acquisition Procedures. IPEG will also continue to explore options to streamline the patent process and procedures that ensure the efficient grant of and enhanced protection for patents.
In conjunction with the 27th IPEG meeting, a Peru-sponsored seminar was held on the topic of Raising Awareness and Providing Policy Insights on Promoting Appropriate Access and Protection of Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge in APEC Economies. The purpose of the seminar was to collect information and share experiences on the institutional and legal frameworks that support access to genetic resources and protection of traditional knowledge in the region, with a view to providing policy insights and promoting further debate and actions in the APEC region. An APEC-funded study, "Survey on Access to Genetic Resources and Protection of Traditional Knowledge in APEC Economies" was also undertaken.
Earlier in 2008 IPEG concluded a series of events in Lima, Peru, the common theme of which was partnership and collaboration between IPR experts and enforcement authorities. The first event was a seminar on the topic of Partnership in IP Protection. IPR authorities and customs officials from APEC economies participated. Building on this foundation, the IPEG held its first joint session with the Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP) on the subject of "International Cooperation in Border Enforcement for IPR Protection."
APEC Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative
In 2005, in recognition of the important contribution effective IPR makes to promoting investment, innovation and economic growth, APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade endorsed the APEC Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative, and instructed officials to intensify their work to develop effective IP guidelines.
The APEC Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative includes a range of measures that APEC members aim to implement. The four main goals are:
Reduce Trade in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods - reduce counterfeit and pirated goods trade and combat transnational networks that produce and distribute these items. Actions include establishing guidelines for authorities to inspect, suspend, seize and destroy goods and equipment used in counterfeit and pirated goods trade.
Reduce Online Piracy - enact appropriate legal regimes and enforcement systems to curtail online piracy and to undermine the online trade in counterfeit goods. This includes the development of guidelines to prevent Internet sales of counterfeit goods.
Increase Cooperation to Stop Piracy and Counterfeiting - increase operational contact and the sharing of information between customs and law enforcement agencies to combat counterfeiting and piracy networks.
Increase Capacity Building to Strengthen Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Enforcement - increase Member Economies' ability to develop and manage effective anti-counterfeiting and piracy enforcement systems through education and training throughout the region.
With this mandate, the IPEG group has established IPR Model Guidelines. These include Model Guidelines
- to Reduce Trade in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods
- to Protect Against Unauthorized Copies
- to Prevent the Sale of Counterfeit and Pirated Goods Over the Internet
- for Effective Public Awareness Campaigns on IPR
- to Secure Supply Chains Against Counterfeit and Pirated Goods
- to Strengthen IPR Capacity Building
Current Activities
The 29th IPEG meeting will take place in Singpapore July 28-29, 2009. In conjunction with the IPEG meeting, the Trading Ideas 2009 seminar will be held in Singapore on July 30-31, 2009. The event aims to build the capacity of small and medium enterprises to commercialise their IP.
Also in 2009, the IPEG is undertaking an APEC-funded project in cooperation with the Korean Intellectual Property Office and the Korea Invention Promotion Association to continue work on the "e-learning" program called IP Xpedite which is aimed at increasing awareness and utilisation of IP information.
The 28th IPEG meeting was held in Singapore on February 25-26, 2009. The meeting was preceded by a seminar titled From Mind to Market - The Highs and Lows of Technology Transfer on February 23-24.
A three day workshop entitled Conducting Effective IPR Public Education and Awareness Campaigns for Small and Medium Enterprises was held in Melbourne, Australia on April 1-3, 2009. The workshop aimed to equip APEC Member Economies with the skills and resources required to implement public education and awareness campaigns for SMEs, which promote the identification, protection, commercialisation and enforcement of IPR in the region. An online resource is being developed in connection with this project.
Contact Information
Convenor of the Intellectual Property Rights Experts' Group
Mr. Stephen Selby
Director, Intellectual Property Department
25/F.,Wu Chung House,
213 Queen's Road East, Wanchai,
Hong Kong, China
Tel: (852) 2961 6888
Fax: (852) 2574 9102
Email: srselby@ipd.gov.hk; jyuekang@mail.moeaipo.gov.tw
APEC Secretariat
Ms. Natalie Nii
Director (Program)
E-mail: njn@apec.org
Reviewed on: 1st July 2009