ABSTRACT
On 15 December 1995 ASEAN member countries adopted a Framework Agreement on Intellectual Property Co-operation. The Framework Agreement recited the obligations of Member States to implement intra-ASEAN intellectual property arrangements in line with their international intellectual property obligations, in particular, their obligations under the WTO Agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights. The assumption of the efficacy of intellectual property protection in promoting the transfer and acquisition of technology is reflected in the priority which ASEAN has given to the introduction of intellectual property and technology transfer regimes. However, ASEAN, particularly with the admission of Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam and the proposed admission of Cambodia, comprises a group of countries at diverse developmental stages and with diverse political and legal traditions. Parallelling the Thai intellectual property initiatives within ASEAN, have been comparable initiatives by Thailand among the countries of the Mekong Valley Basin: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, as well as with China.
