Delegates at the launching ceremony of the ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation Plus (ASPEC+) programme. — Photo courtesy of MST

HÀ NỘI — The ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation Plus (ASPEC+) programme has been officially launched as an extension of the ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation (ASPEC) framework, aiming to provide patent applicants with more closely harmonised examination reports and clearly defined processing timelines.

The programme seeks to strengthen the sharing of patent examination results, improve the quality of application processing and facilitate efforts by applicants to secure patent protection across the region.

ASPEC+ builds on the existing ASPEC framework, with a new emphasis on greater harmonisation of patent examination reports and specific commitments regarding processing timelines.

The programme was launched at the 78th meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) under the leadership of the ASEAN Patent Working Group, which Singapore chairs.

Trần Lê Hồng, Deputy Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of Việt Nam under the Ministry of Science and Technology, said ASEAN intellectual property offices had officially launched ASPEC+ to provide applicants with a more efficient pathway to patent protection across the region.

The programme is expected to produce more harmonised examination reports and give applicants a clearer and more predictable understanding of the status of their applications within a defined timeframe.

A notable feature of ASPEC+ is that applicants can select the ASEAN intellectual property offices with which they wish to work and receive notification of the initial application processing results within approximately 10–14 months. The quality of search and examination results is also expected to improve through professional exchanges among participating intellectual property offices.

ASPEC+ will help applicants pursuing patents in multiple countries save time, effort and resources. When identical or similar examination results are shared, applicants can prepare responses simultaneously, enabling them to take a more proactive approach to patent protection strategies and business expansion in ASEAN markets.

The programme retains ASPEC’s applicant-friendly features, including the use of English and free participation for applicants in participating member states. However, official search and examination fees imposed by each intellectual property office will still apply.

ASPEC is ASEAN’s first patent examination cooperation framework. Launched in 2009, it initially involved nine national intellectual property offices from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Việt Nam.

The mechanism allows an intellectual property office to use search and examination results from the office of another ASEAN member state as reference materials when processing patent applications. This helps improve the quality of patent searches and examinations while shortening the time required to establish industrial property rights for inventions.

Building on this framework, ASPEC+ is expected to mark a new stage in regional patent examination cooperation. For businesses, inventors and research organisations, the programme is expected to make examination results and processing timelines more predictable, providing greater confidence when expanding patent protection and business activities across ASEAN.

By combining ASPEC and ASPEC+, ASEAN aims to strengthen its position as an attractive destination for intellectual property and innovation, while promoting intellectual property as a driver of business development and inclusive growth in the region. — VNS