How Do the ASEAN Member Countries Use Patent Information?

An initiative by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) has been actively working to promote the utilization of patent information to foster innovation across the ASEAN region. This article highlights the key activities and findings of this important project, aiming to shed light on the current landscape of patent information utilization and the efforts being made to enhance it.

Side note: I was fortunate to take part in this learning opportunity and had first-hand experience in participating in this study.

Understanding the Needs: Questionnaire Surveys

The project kicked off by seeking to understand the needs of various stakeholders in ASEAN Member States (AMS) regarding patent information retrieval. To achieve this, questionnaires were distributed to intellectual property offices (IPOs), companies, and patent attorneys. The goal was to gather detailed information on how these entities use patent information search systems, the current state of each country's system, and the specific challenges users face.

Specifically, the questionnaires for IPOs aimed to understand the status of national patent information databases, their searchability in English, future policies and funding, human resource development for patent information searchers, and the IPOs' opinions on building and improving these databases. Questions also explored the types of patent databases used by IPOs, whether they had built their own, how they provide information to the public, the languages supported, and whether there is a charge for accessing patent information.

Separate questionnaires were designed for universities, private companies, and law firms, focusing on their experiences with patent information searches, their significance, their relationship with invention-creation and business strategy, and their needs and requests for patent information systems. These surveys included questions evaluated on a 5-point Likert scale to gauge agreement on various aspects of patent information utilization.

Practical Education and Engagement: Workshops and Invention Business Contests

A core component of the ERIA project involved conducting patent information utilization workshops and patent information retrieval competitions throughout ASEAN. These activities aimed to provide practical education in patent information retrieval and uncover the associated needs of each AMS. By inviting representatives from private companies and universities as participants, the project facilitated hands-on learning and network building among those involved in patent information retrieval.

The workshops covered crucial topics such as the importance of patent information for industrial development, the current status of patent information search systems, and how to effectively use global databases like Patentscope and Espacenet. Practical exercises on search systems were also a key feature. Local IPOs and representatives from ERIA provided lectures, and local universities contributed faculty members with experience in patent information searches. These workshops served as preparation for the subsequent invention business contests.

During the invention business contests, participants were tasked with searching for patent information within a set time and submitting their search results online. This required participants to access database systems via the Internet, highlighting the importance of internet speed and capacity. The educational system of workshops and contests was modeled after the patent information search competition held annually in Japan.

Workshops and invention business contests were successfully held at nine institutions in eight AMS: Indonesia, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Brunei Darussalam. Due to various circumstances, events in Myanmar and Singapore could not be held. The ERIA working group provided support online during the COVID-19 pandemic and later traveled to AMS to conduct these events.

Key Insights and Findings

The project revealed several important insights into patent information utilization in the ASEAN region.

• Limited National Database Development: Only 4 out of 10 AMS are actively building their own patent information databases. Among these, only three enable searching and display in English. This indicates that AMS is generally lagging in developing national patent information databases, leading to a reliance on global or commercial databases.

• Demand for Accessible and Free Information: Both universities and private companies strongly agreed on the need for patent information retrieval systems to be available on the Internet. Private companies also emphasized the importance of domestic patent information retrieval systems being available in English and free of charge.

• Importance for Innovation and Competitiveness: Universities recognized patent information as important for promoting research and development and useful for science and technology research. Private companies highlighted the benefit of using patent information search systems for creating innovation and strengthening their competitiveness. Law firms also acknowledged that utilizing patent information retrieval systems is crucial for innovation creation.

• Need for Education and Training: Universities, private companies, and law firms all expressed a strong agreement on the importance of IPOs actively carrying out education, training, and dissemination activities for patent information retrieval.

• Challenges with Existing Systems: Some IPOs noted challenges such as the complexity of patent documents, the presence of special characters hindering search accuracy, and the lack of a function to export search results. Users sometimes find patent information overwhelming and struggle to identify relevant information. Language barriers were also identified as a challenge, particularly in accessing domestic patent information.

Moving Forward

The ERIA project has provided valuable insights into the current state of patent information utilization in the ASEAN region. The workshops and invention business contests not only offered practical training but also generated enthusiasm and a desire for more such events in the future. The findings underscore the critical need for continued efforts in developing national patent databases, improving their accessibility and functionality (including English language support and free access), and actively promoting education and training in patent information retrieval to foster innovation and economic growth in the ASEAN region.

You may find the Podcast version on Spotify.

Publication Source: https://www.eria.org/research/patent-information-utilisation-to-promote-innovation-in-the-asean-region

Created/Written by Alexandra Palacpac, U&IP Podcast and U&IP Newsletter 2025 March 23.