ECAP III
Introduction
Continuing the series of economic co-operation programmes initiated by the European Union more than a decade ago, the ASEAN Project on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights (ECAP III) was launched on 1 January 2010. The duration of the ECAP III project, which aims to strengthen the flow of trade and investment with Asia, is four years (2010 to 2013), including a four-month inception phase.
ECAP III is implemented by the EPO, based on a Contribution Agreement signed on 18 December 2009.
Objectives
The objectives of ECAP III are to
- further integrate ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries into the global economy and world trading system in order to promote economic growth and reduce poverty in the region,
- facilitate ASEAN regional integration through the establishment of regional institutional capacity and regional harmonisation of legal and administrative intellectual property rights (IPR) frameworks,
- directly address the objectives defined in the ASEAN IPR Action Plan, particularly enhancing the enforcement of IPRs and increasing capacities and regional co-operation networks.
Tasks/activities
ECAP III consists of the following five project components:
- Capacity building and regional co-operation for IP enforcement and regulation in ASEAN
- Improving the legal context and administration of IPRs
- Using IP as a tool for economic development and integration
- ASEAN-wide regional network of IP education, training and research
- Enhancing the capacity of the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC) to support, monitor and co-ordinate ASEAN regional IP policies and work streams.
On regional levels the project will include activities, such as training courses, workshops and seminars, undertaking analyses and feasibility studies, awareness-raising activities, providing assistance to universities and R&D institutions to develop IP policies and services, installing an ASEAN IP helpdesk, among many other activities. In addition, activities on a national level will be organized in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Partners
Beneficiaries of ECAP III are all ten ASEAN states: Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
History
ECAP III succeeds ECAP II - implemented by the EPO from 2000 to 2007 for the whole range of IPRs, with a particular emphasis on enforcement. This was preceded by ECAP I, implemented by the EPO from 1993 to 1997, with a focus on industrial property rights and strengthening the national IPR systems in ASEAN countries.