Under Cambodia’s new Patent Recognition Program (PRP), the Ministry of Industry and Handicraft (MIH) will recognize the examination results of a corresponding patent granted by the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), and grant the patent accordingly. This program was established by the Prakas on Accelerated Patent Decisions under the Patent Recognition Program related to Patent Applications with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, which became effective on November 1, 2019.In order to participate in the PRP, the following requirements must be met:

Intellectual property (IP) protection and the awareness of intellectual property rights (IPRs) in Laos have been increasing recently due to the support of the Lao government, which expressly recognizes the importance of IP to the country’s ambitions for modernization, industrialization, and developing the country’s regional and global status. Such attitudes are reflected in policy statements and strategic planning goals, and local authorities are growing more supportive toward the enforcement of IPRs in Laos.

WIPO’s Madrid System, which provides an alternative to filing trademark applications through the traditional national route, has been an option for global brand owners seeking trademark protection in Thailand since November 7, 2017. As of October 2019, more than 15,000 international registrations (IRs) designating Thailand have been filed and processed at the International Bureau, which suggests a positive reception of the system by brand owners.

At the end of June 2019, Taylor Swift took to social media to express her dismay over the purchaser of her former label who now owns the rights to her master recordings. While it is common for artists to not own their master recordings, fans were surprised to learn that one of the world’s biggest pop stars had few legal grounds to dictate who controls her master recordings.