FAQ

ECAP is a European Union (EU) – ASEAN cooperation programme in the field of Intellectual Property.

This is the latest ECAP project approved by the European Union and ASEAN in 2009. Phase II of this project started implementation in December 2012 and will run for three years, until the end of 2015.

After the implementation of ECAP III started in 2010, the European Union and ASEAN agreed to reformulate the project content so to have it realigned in accordance with the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015 and contribute to its objectives.

Phase II of the project is co-funded by the European Commission and The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

The beneficiary of the project is the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). ASEAN member States are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) is the implementing Agency for this project.

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) is the official trade marks and designs office of the European Union. EUIPO registers the European Union trade mark (EUTM) and registered Community design (RCD), which are essential components of the European single market. These registrations provide trade mark and design protection throughout the European Union, which covers 28 countries and almost 500m people. For more information visit www.oami.europa.eu.

The overall objective of the project is “to further integrate ASEAN countries into the global economy and world trading system to promote economic growth and reduce poverty in the region”. The specific objective is “to support ASEAN regional integration and further update and harmonize the systems for IP creation, protection, administration and enforcement in the ASEAN region, in line with international IP standards and with the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015”.

The project will contribute to the following strategic goals identified by ASEAN in ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015: • Strengthen the institutional capacity for IP administration and enforcement in the ASEAN region • Develop the legal and policy frameworks enabling the ASEAN countries to effectively participate in global protection systems for IP • Promote the use of IP by the productive sector in the ASEAN countries as a tool for development • Enhance IP institution building and integration in the ASEAN region through intensified collaboration among the ASEAN Members States and with the ASEAN Secretariat

ECAP III Phase II focuses on developing a common approach within the ASEAN region in the areas of trade marks, industrial designs, geographical indications and IP enforcement.

ECAP III Phase II is structured into four main components that aim at achieving the objectives and results approved by ASEAN and the EU in 2012. They directly relate to four of the strategic goal areas identified in the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015. These four components are the following, Component I Administration and Enforcement Component II Legal and Policy Frameworks Component III Brand Development (Productive Sector) Component IV Regional Integration and Collaboration Under each project component, the activities necessary to achieve the project objectives and expected results are organised under activity clusters.

This project component comprises activities aimed at strengthening the capacity of the IP administrations in the ASEAN countries to deliver quality registration services and at enhancing the enforcement of IP rights in the ASEAN region in line with Strategic Goal 1 of the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015. The activities envisaged under this project component are grouped in three activity clusters, focusing on the following areas: (a) quality registration services; (b) trade mark classification tools and (c) support to the ASEAN regional action plan on IPR enforcement. To know more concerning this component and related activities, press here.

This project component comprises activities aimed at enhancing the legal and policy frameworks enabling the participation of the ASEAN countries in the global protection systems for brands at the appropriate time, in line with Strategic Goal 2 of the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015. The activities envisaged under this project component are grouped in two activity clusters, focusing on the following areas: (a) Madrid System – International Registration of Marks and (b) Hague System – International Registration of Industrial Designs. To know more concerning this component and related activities, press here.

This project component comprises activities aimed at improving the capacity of the productive sector in the ASEAN region, especially small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), to create, protect and manage their own brands by using IP as a tool for development, in line with Strategic Goal 3 of the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015. The activities envisaged under this project component are grouped in five activity clusters, focusing on the following areas: (a) Enhancing SME Capabilities; (b) Capacity Building of IP Professionals; (c) Information Tools for IP Users; (d) Enhanced Use of GIs as a Marketing Tool and (e) Promoting the development of the “Creative ASEAN” initiative. To know more concerning this component and related activities, press here.

This project component comprises activities aimed at enhancing IP integration within the ASEAN region and strengthening IP collaboration among the ASEAN Member States and with the ASEAN Secretariat, in line with Strategic Goal 5 of the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015. The activities envisaged under this project component are grouped in five activity clusters, focusing on the following areas: (a) ASEAN IP Offices Common Tools; (b) Information Sharing and Convergence of Practices among ASEAN IP Offices and (c) enhancing IP capacity in the ASEAN Secretariat. To know more concerning this component and related activities, press here.

The 2012 Addendum to the EU-ASEAN Financing Agreement identifies four main results that are expected to be achieved by the project by the end of 2015. They are correlated to the four project components, as follows: Project Result I Strengthened capacity of the administration to deliver quality registration services and enhanced enforcement of IP rights in the ASEAN countries. Project Result II Enhanced legal and policy frameworks enabling the participation of the ASEAN countries in the global protection systems for brands. Project Result III Improved capacity of the productive sector in the ASEAN countries, especially SMEs, to create, protect and manage their own brands by using IP as a tool for development. Project Result IV Enhanced IP integration within the ASEAN region and strengthened IP collaboration among ASEAN Member States and with the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC).

The organizational set up of the project being implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) comprises a Project Steering Committee (PSC), the ASEC and National Coordinators (ENCs) and the Project Management Team (PMT).

The Project Steering Committee (PSC) oversees and validates the overall direction and policy of the project. It has responsibility to approve the overall and annual work plans and reports prepared by the implementing agency and to discuss external evaluation reports. Read more…

The ASEAN Secretariat has appointed an ASEC Coordinator (and a deputy) for ECAP III who maintains close consultation with the PMT concerning regional developments in the area of intellectual property and the planning and implementation of the project regional activities. The ECAP National Coordinators (ENCs) (and their deputies), appointed by the ASEAN Member States, contribute to the project implementation by: coordinating with the PMT the planning and organization of the various project activities as far as their respective countries are concerned; providing inputs and logistic support for such activities; providing the PMT with information on IP developments in their respective countries and compiling relevant data, upon request; maintaining constant communication with the PMT in all matters relating to the project implementation. Read more…

The project is being implemented by EUIPO through a Project Management Team (PMT) comprising two sub-teams, one based at the Project Office hosted by the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) of the Thai Ministry of Commerce, in Bangkok, and the other one based at the EUIPO Headquarters in Alicante, Spain. Read more…

You can contact the Project Management Team by filling up the contact form in this website. If you would like to contact them now, please press here.

This project addresses several IP areas and different stakeholders who can benefit from the project´s activities and outputs. If you follow the News & Events section regularly, you will be able to find relevant information to your specific interests.