IP Considerations for ICT Industry in South-East Asia

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The ICT sector is considered to play a pivotal role in supporting regional integration and connectivity efforts between the countries in South-East Asia. The latest ASEAN ICT Industry Masterplan 2016-2020 aims to propel ASEAN towards a digitally-enabled economy that is secure, sustainable, and transformative and to enable an innovative, inclusive and integrated ASEAN Community[1]. The ICT industry is one of the sectors presenting major business growth opportunities for EU SMEs in South-East Asia.

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Copyright Protection in Cambodia

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copyright_lockThis week we will continue the basic IPR series for Cambodia and  focus on the copyright protection. Today’s blog post gives a general overview of copyright protection in Cambodia and discusses the importance of voluntarily registering your copyright. You will  also find information on how to enforce your copyright in the unfortunate case of copyright infringement. 

Copyright in Cambodia

Copyright is an intellectual property right that protects creations of the mind. These rights, generally, include: copying; publishing; translating; adapting and altering; distributing; etc. and are granted automatically following the creation of the work.

The Cambodian Copyright Law grants the exclusive legal right to authors and other right holders to exploit their “works, production of cultural products, performances, phonograms, and transmissions of broadcasting organizations”.

Even though, copyright normally enjoys automatic protection in most South-East Asian countries from the moment of its creation, the European SMEs should keep in mind that this is not always the case in Cambodia. Foreign works do not enjoy automatic protection in Cambodia, even though Cambodia is a member of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). As not all Cambodia’s national laws are yet in accordance to the TRIPS regulations, Cambodia currently does not grant similar protection to foreign works as it does for Cambodian works. Cambodia has to comply with the TRIPS agreement by 2021. Continue reading “Copyright Protection in Cambodia” »

Trade Mark Protection in Cambodia

trademarkAs a rapidly developing region, Cambodia is becoming a popular business destination for European SMEs. However, rapid economic development has been accompanied with increasing counterfeiting and other IP infringements. European SMEs should still keep in mind that even though, Cambodia’s IP enforcement system needs to improve, there are still sufficient IP laws in place to protect your trade mark and other IP.  Today’s blog post will take a closer look at Cambodian trade mark protection. 

Background for the European SMEs  

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a group is EU’s third largest trading partner after the United States and China. ASEAN countries are at different economic and political development stage, and among them, Cambodia has recently shown steady growth rates, while its economy grew at 7.1% in 2014 and 7% in 2015. The garment sector, together with construction and services, are the main drivers of its economy. Growth is expected to remain strong in 2016, as recovering internal demand and dynamic garment exports offset stagnation in agriculture and softer growth in tourism. Cambodia is an emerging market with a GDP of $16.4 billion, which has the potential of becoming a trading and logistics hub for the Indonesia region. Its 15.3 million strong population is mainly occupied in the agricultural sector. However, garment industry, construction and tourism are among major industries in Cambodia, with the garment industry accounting for 90% of Cambodia’s exports. Continue reading “Trade Mark Protection in Cambodia” »

Cambodia Strengthens IP Protection

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shutterstock_81193486-520x345This month, Cambodia became the fourth ASEAN country – after Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines – to formally implement the Madrid System for the international registration of trade marks.[1]  Continue reading “Cambodia Strengthens IP Protection” »

First Singapore Patent Recognized in Cambodia

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shutterstock_56485213Last month marks the first Singapore patent to be granted by Cambodia after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry and Handicraft (MIH) in January.

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