The 12th TMTF Meeting was held on 26 October 2021 via Video Conference. The Meeting was chaired by Mr Azahar bin Abdul Razab, Senior Director, Trademark & Geographical Division, Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO), and attended by all ASEAN Member States as well as staff members of the ASEAN Secretariat.

The Meeting continued discussion on the turnaround time in the processing of trademark applications. From 2019 to 2020, the average turnaround time had increased slightly, partly due to bottlenecks created during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Meeting also shared best practices in tracking and reducing backlog in trademark examination and this  includes recruiting more trademarks examiners and enhancing the IT system to ensure that examiners are able to work from home.

There was also a consultation session with the ASEAN IP Association (AIPA) who provided updates on the operational issues relating to the Pan ASEAN Trademark Application (PATMA) system. Philippines, as the Country Champion led the discussion on the co-pilot testing and next steps in implementing the PATMA system.