A first-line IP assistance service for European and COSME SMEs that operate or intend to access the South-East Asia market and that aim to improve their global competitiveness.

Project – South-East Asia IP SME Helpdesk is an Initiative of the European Commission to support EU SMEs to protect and enforce their Intellectual Property rights (IPR) in relation to 10 South-East Asian countries. All services are free of charge.

Below are some key services that can be offered:

• IP strategy for SEA: We can discuss with you about building an IP strategy based on your activities and business i.e. what type of IP (patents, trademarks, designs, copyright, and other IP types) you should consider for registration when you should file an application, where you should register your IP, how to prevent others from copy/using your IP, etc.
• IP registration in SEA: We can advise you on official fees, average timeline, and required documents for obtaining IP registration (patents, trademarks, designs, copyright, and other IP types) in 10 South-East Asian countries.
• IP enforcement avenues in SEA: Should you face any IP infringement e.g. a local company is selling counterfeiting products labeled with your brand name or illegally copying/using your IP in the local market, we can advise you on the step by step to take and necessary information to gather before contacting a local agent.

In addition, organisation has published a number of up-to-date Country IP Factsheets for the 10 South-East Asian countries. If you are interested, please feel free to check out those Country Factsheets, IP Guides, and Infographics; OR visit the Official website for further information. There are a large number of IP materials and upcoming activities there that might interest you.

You can also learn more about the services of Helpdesk and the other IP Helpdesks in other regions in the world by watching a short introduction video here.