Developments in intellectual property law in ASEAN countries have attracted less
attention over the last two decades than those of their more powerful and
commercially attractive neighbours China, Japan and India. This is in spite of a rather
long history of intellectual property principles in the region resulting from
colonisation. The first intellectual property decree in the Philippines, for example, was
introduced by the Spanish colonial power as early as 1833. Today, the region offers
interesting insights into the relationship between intellectual property law and various
stages of economic development. In spite of the Asian crisis of 1997, some ASEAN
countries are undertaking serious efforts to establish themselves as players in the
intellectual property field rather than remaining mere recipients of principles and
policies developed elsewhere. This paper is intended as a follow up to a survey article
written for the European Intellectual Property Review in the early 1990s3. It will
present most recent legislative developments in intellectual property law and the
difficulties in creating an institutional framework for the new laws. Some broader
trends visible in the region will be identified towards the end of the paper.