Have you taken an active part in protecting your assets before going international in South-East Asia (SEA)? Let’s see! Knowing your main Intellectual Property (IP) assets is essential to achieving your business goals.
Do you have all the information you need?
- Do you develop innovative products?
- Do you focus on the design and packaging of your products?
- Do you keep your production methods secret?
- Do you produce traditional food?
- Do you have an established reputation among customers?
Do you know how you can protect your Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in the SEA country where you want to internationalise?
- Do you understand the legislation?
- Does it comply with international standards?
- Do you know how to apply for protection?
- Do you know what documents are required?
- Do you have the required documents?
- Do you know which languages you must translate your documents into?
Are you ready to play smart?
Did you know …?
… an NDA and NNN should be signed with potential partners before making any business deals or signing contracts
… all contracts and agreements must be translated into the languages of the areas you are expanding into
… there is no enforcement without existing registration
… you can protect your innovations by keeping them secret if you can’t or won’t apply for a patent
… sometimes a cease-and-desist letter can be enough.
Have you done all you need to do?
- Have you registered your IP in your country of origin?
- Have you registered your IP in the country of destination?
- Have you checked if your trademark is still available for registration in the countries you want to expand into?
- Have you included specifi c provisions about the connected ownership of the IPR in your contracts with EU and non-EU partners?
- Have you drafteded a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)?
- Have you drafted a Non-Usage, Non-Disclosure and Non-Circumvent Agreement (NNN)?
- Have you had all the necessary documents translated into the relevant languages?
- Have you explained to your staff which information can and cannot be disclosed to third parties in SEA countries?
- Are you aware of which enforcement options are available in SEA in case you face infringement?
- Are you aware of the alternative dispute resolution methods?
Download the checklist as a PDF.
CONTACT the SEA IPR SME Helpdesk for free advice on how to learn and what to do!
Marta Bettinazzi – IP Business Advisor marta.bettinazzi@southeastasia-iprhelpdesk.eu
Mathieu Henceval – Project Manager Europe mathieu.henceval@southeastasia-iprhelpdesk.eu
Nora Bihari – Project Manager SEA
nora.bihari@southeastasia-iprhelpdesk.eu