Patents in Asia 2020: Introduction

Asia is growing in importance for major IP owners as patent litigation becomes more global in nature and various national authorities move to beef up their IP enforcement. Deciding where to file a patent was once a fairly straightforward process, but as more jurisdictions mature and ascend the tech value chain, applicants are faced with more options to consider than ever before. Having broad protection around the world can be great, but it comes with heavy costs – in an uncertain economic environment, portfolio decisions need to be thoroughly vetted and justified to management. With these issues in mind, this year’s Patents in Asia supplement focuses on Australia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand – jurisdictions that fall outside the so-called ‘IP five’ patent granting countries, but nevertheless offer protection in markets that are critical to multinational businesses in a wide range of sectors. To give our readers the highest-quality intelligence on these territories, IAM asked leading local private practice law firms to summarise the state of play for patent owners. The structure is simple – each chapter explains how to get and keep a patent; how to enforce it through the courts or administrative procedures; and other modes of commercialisation or value creation that are prevalent in the market under discussion. These are not exhaustive guides to the patent regimes of the abovementioned countries. Instead, they provide an excellent jumping-off point for companies to re-assess their strategies in these jurisdictions. And they certainly point the way toward knowledgeable experts from these places who are well placed to provide further advice.