During two days of May 25 and 26, 2015, in Nara, Japan took place the 5th meeting of leaders from Intellectual Property Agencies of ASEAN countries and Japan Patent Office (JPO). Attending the Meeting were delegations from Intellectual Property Agencies of ASEAN member countries, ASEAN Secretariat Committee and Japan Patent Office. Vietnamese delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, concurrently the Director of Viet Nam Office of Intellectual Property, Trần Việt Thanh.

In the Meeting, the Parties once again affirmed the importance of strengthening cooperation in intellectual property fields with spirits of mutual benefits and development based on closely cooperative relationship among ASEAN member countries and Japan over the past time. The Parties especially emphasized the importance of industrial property system for trade and investment promotion and the motivation for innovation and technology transfer activities for the sustainable economic development of ASEAN and Japan.

The Meeting approved the Report on implementing the Cooperation Plan for the 2014-2015 period, the Cooperation Plan for the 2015-2016 period and the Joint Statement of the Meeting.

Following this Meeting, the leaders of Intellectual Property Agencies of ASEAN member countries and JPO also participated in the Discussion with some Japanese companies and ASEAN- Japan Workshop on intellectual property rights. These are forums for ASEAN country members and Japan to introduce and share experience in the establishment and protection of intellectual property rights as well as efforts made in trade and investment promotion between ASEAN and Japan.

Outside the Meeting, Vietnamese delegation had meetings with other delegations from other ASEAN countries to strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation with these countries.

Following events in Nara, on May 28, 2015, the Vietnamese delegation paid a visit and worked in Japan’s National Office of Intellectual Property and JPO in Tokyo. The two Parties discussed about their most updated development status relating to the intellectual property system, emphasized the importance of intellectual property rights in science and technology development, and discussed the bilateral cooperation plan for the coming time, especially activities relating to the piloting PPH Program, development of national strategies/policies on intellectual property and human resource development in intellectual property field.

Paying a visit and working with the National S&T Strategy Promoting Committee, Office of Cabinet of Japan (Tokyo, Japan, 28/5/2015)

Source:  Department of International Cooperation, National Office of Intellectual Property