More Report Choices for the ASPEC Programme
In conjunction with the 12th anniversary of the ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation (“ASPEC”) Programme, the ASEAN Member States (“AMS”) IP Offices are launching a new initiative to support innovators and enterprises in commercialising their products and services in the ASEAN region.
14 June 2021
Starting from 15 June 2021, applicants can use written opinion(s) established by participating AMS IP Office(s) to accelerate the patenting process in another participating AMS IP Office[1]. This is in addition to the use of examination reports as an acceptable work product under the ASPEC programme.
The initiative is in line with AMS IP Offices’ continual commitment to offer speed and quality in patent prosection in ASEAN. Applicants can now enjoy greater flexibility in report choices and shorter turnaround time in the patent granting process within the region.
For more details on the use of written opinion(s) for ASPEC, please refer to the Document Submission Guidelines.[1] This does not include the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP), Ministry of Commerce, Thailand until further notice.