Over the last few decades, countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) all had to revise their intellectual property systems. These revisions
resulted at first from bilateral pressure of major trading partners such as the US and
EU, then from the WTO-TRIPS Agreement and more recently from bilateral Free
Trade Agreements. To observe the IP developments in ASEAN over this period is
interesting, because this group of countries covers developed (Singapore), developing
as well as least developed countries. All countries had to reform their outdated laws
from the colonial era in very short time. However, in comparison to the early 1980s,
important differences with regards to intellectual property policies have emerged in
recent years.