The European Commission (EC) has approved a budget of EUR5.1 million to support ASEAN countries in protection of intellectual property rights, during a period of 2010-2013. Tran Viet Hung, head of the National Office of Intellectual Property, said that Vietnam is among four ASEAN countries given priority to access the fund to facilitate the property right protection in business and society, the Thoi bao Kinh te Sai Gon newspaper reported. The fund will be used to train local experts, businesses and people about the property rights, Hung said. The project, called ECAP III, aims to further integrate ASEAN countries into the global economy and the world trading system to promote economic growth and reduce poverty in the region, he noted. It will also support policy coordination and drafting of new policies towards regional ASEAN integration. Earlier, ECAP I was implemented from 1993 to 1997, and ECAP II from 2000 to 2007, focusing on industrial property rights and strengthening of ASEAN national industrial property rights systems.
