Japanese manufacturers are generally shying away from applying for patents in ASEAN countries for reasons such as the "immatureness" of the judicial system in intellectual property (IP) trials and the low level of technology assessment by local IP authorities, said a representative of the Japan Intellectual Property Association.
Japanese companies urge member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to improve IP protections so that they can rest assured doing businesses there. Meanwhile, ASEAN countries aim to set up such protections to lure more direct investment by Japanese companies.
"In many ways, ASEAN countries do not have concrete infrastructure for IP protection," JIPA Secretary General Hideo Doi said in an interview with The Japan Times after the 12th JIPA Symposium on the theme "Let's talk a step further about IP strategy and the key to success in Asia," held in Nagoya on Feb. 1.