Towards greater harmonisation - the view from Southeast Asia

01-02-2012

Darani Vachanavuttivong and Alan Adcock

The next three years will be vital for the development of intellectual property policy in the ASEAN region. Darani Vachanavuttivong and Alan Adcock explain.

The 10 nation members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have committed to implement an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015.

As of January 1, 2010, with the full implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (now called the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement), the trading bloc has created a single market of more than 600 million people, making it the world’s ninth largest economy, with a GDP growth of 7.5 percent.

Foreign direct investment into ASEAN rose to $76 billion in 2010, doubling the 2009 level. Comparisons to EU economic integration are frequent, but unlike that merged economy, ASEAN lacks singular regulation and harmonised rules and regulations.


ASEAN, AEC harmonisation

WIPR