With fast-growing economies and a central world location for supply chains, expanding into the Asia Pacific presents many opportunities.
However, entering foreign markets – with different laws, languages, time zones and filing requirements – brings new layers of complexity. Our Asia Direct offering is designed to make protecting patents, trade marks and designs across the region simple, coordinated and commercial.
From our base in Australia, we act as your single point of contact for IP protection throughout Southeast Asia. Rather than you managing multiple foreign agents across different jurisdictions, we coordinate everything on your behalf through our established network of trusted associates in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
We manage the full lifecycle of your IP rights across the region – from initial filing through to examination, prosecution, and ongoing renewals and annuities. Where you have related patent families or brand portfolios spanning several countries, we proactively align prosecution positions and advise on developments in parallel jurisdictions. This enables faster, more consistent multi-country advice and avoids unnecessary double handling and administration.
Formalities such as powers of attorney, translations and local requirements are handled seamlessly. You will receive consistent communication and straightforward invoicing in your preferred currency, reducing administrative burden and improving visibility over your regional portfolio.
Our network consists of carefully selected independent local firms who are physically based in each jurisdiction. We have long-standing relationships with many of these practitioners and work with them regularly. As our associates are independent of our firm, we monitor quality and performance closely and objectively. We also maintain more than one trusted agent in each country, ensuring flexibility, cost competitiveness and the ability to manage conflicts of interest.
Through long-term, high-volume engagement in Southeast Asia, we have negotiated preferential fee arrangements that deliver cost certainty and efficiency for our clients. Our familiarity with local practice developments across the region also ensures your filings are managed in line with current requirements and evolving examination trends.
Our Asia Direct team can help you build and manage an international portfolio with confidence. By combining local expertise with centralised oversight, we give you a streamlined, accountable and commercially aligned pathway to securing and maintaining your IP rights across the Asia Pacific.
Reasons to secure IP in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is increasingly central to global supply chains and commercial growth. The region is home to a significant proportion of the world’s population and includes fast-growing economies with strong manufacturing, pharmaceutical, agricultural, electronics and technology sectors. Many products – from semiconductors and medical devices to chemicals and automotive components – are manufactured in, or pass through, these jurisdictions.
Protecting IP in key Southeast Asian markets can therefore strengthen enforcement positions, disrupt competitor supply chains and enhance leverage in licensing and commercial negotiations. A strategically structured regional portfolio can materially increase enterprise value and bargaining power.
To learn more about opportunities in the Asia Pacific, please contact our lead Principals for this team, Neil Ireland or Greg Bartlett.
