Patents in Asia 2016

Few trends on the IP scene have been as clear in recent years as the growing prominence of Asia in the patent market. Japan and South Korea have long been pillars of the global patent system, thanks to their mature high-tech industries. However, China is increasingly a top regional priority as the filing leader, as well as a key battleground for enforcement. In addition, multinationals are turning their attention to member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as manufacturing is increasingly shifted to these countries and their governments promote IP finance initiatives.

The upshot is that chief IP officers need to keep a lot more jurisdictions on their radars than they did even a couple of years ago. For this reason, IAM has once again put together its annual Patents in Asia guide – a resource which collects key information about patent prosecution and litigation across the region by asking top legal experts from four Asian markets to answer a series of essential questions. We hope that the result is a practical and insightful reference which will be of lasting use throughout the year.