KASS International Earns Gold and Regional Recognition in IAM Patent 1000 2026
By Alvin Boey Four countries. Multiple tiers. One clear signal, KASS International is building one of Southeast Asia’s most respected patent practices, country by country. Every year, IAM Media publishes the IAM Patent 1000, widely regarded as the definitive guide to the world’s leading patent professionals. Rankings are earned, not bought. They are the result […]
Advancing IP Administration In Cambodia: Digitalization of The Trademark Registration System
By Phylicia Yeoh Cambodia has taken a bold step into the digital age in its intellectual property (IP) journey. According to the latest announcement released by the Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia, effective 30 September 2025, the Department of Intellectual Property of Cambodia (DIP) has officially launched a paperless trademark registration system, marking a major […]
LA VILLA Trademark Dispute: When Prior Use Defeats Registration
By Khin Yupar Can a trademark certificate erase a business that was there first? Does registration guarantee exclusivity, or does the marketplace still have the final word? Trademark registration is often perceived as the strongest shield in brand protection. To many businesses, securing a registration signals certainty, exclusivity and legal dominance. Yet the LA VILLA […]
Patent Intelligence: Your Competitive Advantage in Southeast Asia’s Innovation Economy
By Alvin Boey There is an old saying in business: The person with the best information wins. In the age of innovation economies, that information increasingly lives inside patent databases, millions of records that, to the untrained eye, look like legal filings. To the strategic mind, they are something else entirely: A map of where […]
ASPEC+: Re-thinking Patent Prosecution in Southeast Asia
By Hemanisha Baskaran Imagine handling patent prosecution across Southeast Asia (i.e. ASEAN) as one coordinated process instead of multiple separate filings. ASPEC+ makes this possible through a more streamlined and harmonized framework, delivering faster, more consistent, and more efficient outcomes. On 6th April 2026, the ASEAN Member States (AMS) IP Offices officially launched the ASEAN […]
Similarity is Not Enough: When Evidence, Not Eminence, Decides Trademark Rights
By Ma. Syril Diesta When similarity is obvious, is confusion automatic? The Supreme Court says no. In Innolab Industries, Inc. v. United Laboratories, Inc. (G.R. No. 257075, 5 August 2025), the Supreme Court of the Philippines delivered a pointed reminder on a principle often misunderstood in trademark law: similarity between marks, without more, does not […]
Indonesia Accelerates Trademark Registration: Smooth Applications Now Registered Within Six Months
By Carola Monintja In a significant milestone for Indonesia’s intellectual property (IP) landscape, the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (“DGPI”) has successfully streamlined the trademark registration process. As of mid-2025, trademark applications that meet standard criteria are now registered within a maximum of six months, marking a major shift from previous timelines and positioning Indonesia […]
From Thesis to Patent: Critical Points to Know
By Geetha Kandiah This case presents a compelling appellate decision concerning allegations of infringement of moral rights and the invalidation of a patent, brought by a Master’s student against multiple defendants. At first instance, the High Court dismissed the Plaintiff’s claims in their entirety. Background The factual matrix of Veronica Sainik @ Ronald v Meluha […]
The Unstoppable Rise of Asia
By Alvin Boey Why 2024 IP Filings Reveal a Fundamental Shift in Global Innovation Strategy. An Expert Analysis of WIPO 2025 Data and the Strategic Imperative for ASEAN Executive Overview The intellectual property landscape of 2024 tells a story that should command the attention of every enterprise with global ambitions. The latest data for year […]
From Practice To Policy: What Indonesia’s 2026 Trademark Regulation Really Changes
By Carola Monintja When the Indonesian Ministry of Law introduced Regulation No. 5 of 2026, effective 23 February 2026, it was more than a routine regulatory update. For those familiar with trademark practice in Indonesia, the changes reflect a deliberate effort to streamline the system and bring greater operational clarity to processes that had, over […]