Most Common Intellectual Property Rights Problems: Focus On South – East Asia

Intellectual Property (IP) protection is an essential strategy for securing a return on investment in innovation, offering IP owners a competitive edge.. SMEs invest a huge amount of time, energy and money related to endeavours in R&D and marketing, yet frequently neglect that, in most countries, the only way to enjoy exclusive rights over their creative efforts and their business identity (trademark) is through IP registration [1]

A wide range of foreign industries are now looking towards Southeast Asia, not just to take advantage of an abundance of cheap labour for production of goods for export, but also to tap into new consumer markets formed from a growing middle class population. But the less developed nature of business-related legislation means the dangers of intellectual property (IP) infringement are often great. [2]