Asia is increasingly asserting itself as a place that can generate and exploit its own intellectual property. Governments across the region are becoming more and more aware that long term economic success depends on developing intellectual capital and stimulating ideas, rather than simply offering cheap manufacturing facilities for foreign inventors to turn their own designs into final products.
Australia and Singapore are trying to position themselves as biotech R&D hubs with a series of financial incentives for companies and business-friendly IP regimes. An inter-departmental task force in Japan has tried to put IP at the centre of the country's growth strategy, encouraging companies to value their intellectual property assets and emphasize the importance of research and development.
Less developed countries in the region are also trying to cultivate their IP credentials. India is eager to attract foreign investment to its burgeoning software and pharmaceutical sectors and China's central government is trying to step up efforts to stop rampant counterfeiting and to build up its own high tech zones. Across the region governments are introducing legislation to try to make it easier for IP owners to protect their assets.
The Asia-Pacific IP Focus includes a section on regional developments where you will find an up-to-date analysis of some of the most important pieces of IP legislation across Asia and a guide to protecting and exploiting your intellectual property in the region. There are articles on IP topics as diverse as domain names, biotechnology and counterfeiting as well as practical tips for defending your intellectual assets: from looking after your well-known trade marks in China, navigating your way through Japanese IP litigation and protecting your design rights in the Philippines. We hope you find them useful.
Emma Barraclough,
Asia editor, MIP
