ASEAN Regional Workshop on TM Examination

An ASEAN regional workshop on trade mark examination was held in Manila from 9-13 September 2013. This event was hosted by the IP Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and attended by senior trade mark officers of all ASEAN Member States.

This activity aimed at enhancing the capacity of the ASEAN IP Offices to provide quality services concerning the examination of trade mark applications. During the weekly sessions, latest trends concerning trade mark examination and how to organize regular training programmes in this field were addressed.

The workshop, conducted by two EUIPO experts and experts from IPOPHL, focused on topics relating to recent trends in trade mark filing, formality requirements (with particular attention to the representation of non-conventional marks), examination of absolute grounds for refusal, examination of relative grounds for refusal and cancellation of trade mark registrations. Real examples were examined and the participants invited to engage in practical activities and share examples of cases to illustrate their Offices ‘practice.