IPOPHL LEADS MILESTONE 1ST ASEAN IPR ENFORCEMENT NETWORK MEETING

15 September 2017

Director General Josephine R. Santiago (center) chaired the 1st ASEAN Network of IPR Enforcement Experts (ANIEE) Meeting attended by the ASEAN Enforcement Focal Points in Bangkok, Thailand. Also in photo are (L-R,seated: Mr. Mark Herrin, ASEAN Secretariat; Ms. Jittima Srithaporn, Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) Thailand; Mrs. Mr. Peter Fowler, US Patent and Trademark Office; Mr. Evan Williams, US Department of Justice; and Mr. Salmon Pardede, Directorate General of IP Indonesia).

Bangkok, Thailand –Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines Director General Josephine R. Santiago chaired the first meeting of the ASEAN Network of IPR Enforcement Experts (ANIEE), which was convened on 11 September 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand.  The ANIEE has been tasked by the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) to undertake the implementation of the IPR enforcement initiatives under the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2016-2025.

The Philippines, as co-country champion on enforcement, was designated Chair of ANIEE for a period of two years until April 2019.

Enforcement focal points from nine (9) ASEAN Member States collaborated on the measures to be undertaken to carry out the regional Action Plan on IPR Enforcement, including the conduct of a regional information awareness campaign and the development of a coordination mechanism to enhance enforcement operations in the region.  The Meeting was attended by focal points from the IP Offices, Judiciary, Customs Agencies, Police, and Trade and Commerce officials from the ASEAN Member States, and organized with the support of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the US Department of Justice (US DOJ).