What is APEC?

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum composed of 21 member economies. It was established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence among Asia-Pacific economies. Its goal is to advance Asia-Pacific economic dynamism and sense of community. For further details on APEC, please visit the APEC Secretariat's website at http://www.apecsec.org.sg.

What is IPEG?

The Intellectual Property Rights Experts' Group (IPEG), created in 1996, coordinates and undertakes the work related to Intellectual Property Rights. The IPEG's objectives are to:

• deepen the dialogue on intellectual property policy;
• survey and exchange information on the current status of IPR protection and administrative systems;
• study measures for the effective enforcement of IPR;
• fully implement the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) no later than 2000; and
• facilitate technical cooperation to that end.

Update of Activities
During the IPEG meeting held in January 2007 in Canberra, participants focused discussions on the following agenda items:

• The APEC Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative, and its three Model Guidelines and suggested reporting templates: The results include proposed new model guidelines on the disposal of confiscated and pirated goods, and on strengthening capacity building. Several other initiatives on IPR border enforcement, best practices and resources, and on signal piracy were introduced;
• Economies shared information on harmonizing patent application practices, proceedings and laws in the region. Current developments in trademark regulations were discussed and member economies were asked to submit information for ongoing surveys on non-traditional trademarks, as well as, on Plant Variety Protection and on Copyright Limitations and Exceptions.

Business and Private Sector Participation

The IPEG seeks views from the private/business sector about priorities for APEC’s work on IPR through various symposiums. A contact list of public, business and private sector experts on IPR is available on the APEC Secretariat’s website at http://www.apec.org.

Achievements

Australia organized a self-funded symposium, "Trading Ideas: The Future of IP in the Asia Pacific." The symposium brought together more than five hundred leading intellectual property (IP) policy officials, business executives, patent attorneys, legal professionals and inventors. Held in Sydney from January 28-30, the symposium looked at the future for business and government in relation to IP, which is one of the most important areas of the knowledge economy of tomorrow.

The symposium covered areas relevant to the health of the global economy such as the harmonization of IP laws and processes across borders to reduce red tape, piracy and counterfeiting in the Asia-Pacific region and the enforcement of IP rights. Participants focused on the incidents of piracy and counterfeiting in the region and what that means for economic growth and jobs in the years to come.

Next Steps

IPEG Key Contacts