Disparity in Intellectual Property Protection in ASEAN

Abstract

Intellectual property laws in ASEAN members significantly vary from one member to another because of their diverse backgrounds and history. Due to different levels of development, ASEAN members can be categorised as developed, developing and least developed countries. It is undeniable that various levels of development are interrelated to the standard of intellectual propert (IP) protection among the members of ASEAN. In other words, the countries with a high level of development tend to provide stronger IP protection and enforcement. Whereas less developed countries usually have weaker IP regimes. Therefore, decreasing the development gap among the members of ASEAN will harmonise the interest to set up consistent IP policies and cooperate to establish the same direction to impose IP laws in ASEAN. Thus, this article aims to present differences in the levels of development of ASEAN members, disparity in IP protection in ASEAN, as well as interesting remarks for the study of English for lawyers.