The Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) have signed an intellectual property (IP) agreement.

The signing ceremony was held on March 30 in the presence of minister Cham Prasidh, JPO Commissioner Hamano Koichi and ERIA president Hidetoshi Nishimura.

A March 31 press release from the ministry said the three sides expressed their appreciation for the agreement, saying it represented a tripartite agreement to promote IP and technical training in both the public and private sectors to foster understanding and knowledge of IP in Cambodia.

The ministry, JPO and ERIA agreed to provide technical support, including research on IP, joint workshops, lectures and seminars, knowledge sharing and the promotion of technology transfer, the dissemination of research, the facilitation of the exchange of visits, exchange of information and best practices of policies, laws and regulations related to IP rights.

Prasidh encouraged ministry officials to continue discussions on the implementation of the project and to establish further activities and strengthen cooperation between the three signatories.

“In addition to our cooperation with the JPO, the ministry also cooperates with some of the world’s major IP offices, such as the IP Office Singapore (IPOS), the European Patent Office (EPO), the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO),” he said.