280. I would like to introduce again the some of our activities:
EU – India Intellectual Property Cooperation
281. This is a project that will extend from February 2015 to September 2017, involving a EU contribution €1,800,000 and a contribution by our trademark office (OHIM) of €120,000, amounting to a total of €1,920,000.
282. The Project Components are twofold: (i) trademark and design administration services & information to the business community aimed at strengthening the capacity of the IP administration in India to deliver quality registration and information services to the business community, particularly in the areas of trademarks and industrial designs; and (ii) to enhance the capacity of the Indian productive sector to create, protect and manage its own brands by using IP as a tool for development.
283. A second project is one that has been ongoing for many years, but it has had another full year, i.e. the EU-ASEAN Project on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights - ECAP III, that supports the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015. Some examples of results include the ASEAN TMclass search tool enabling web access to the ASEAN TMclass database and including search, browse and translation functionalities, became fully operational for use by the ASEAN IP Offices in March 2015. The ASEAN IP Offices have agreed to make it also open for public use on the web in August 2015.
284. This ECAP III programme also included the exchanges of officials, for instance 50 officials from the IP Offices of Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR and Myanmar improved their knowledge on the legal and technical aspects of the Madrid Protocol so they were trained in this area.
285. The project also facilitated access through the IP Portal to the common online trademark information platform of the ASEAN Member States. There were also a number of exercises in the area of designs and geographical indications that you can consult in the information we have provided.
286. Passing now to some projects by member States I would like to make reference to a project by Austria's IP Office. They organized a training course on patent documentation and information, protection of trademarks and designs, international IP treaties in which Bangladesh with other countries participated.
287. France has organized on an annual basis since 2007 courses on GIs, for in total 138 participants from 43 countries and regional organisations. France also organized several other general training courses on intellectual property for LDCs.
288. Sweden organized a course for LDCs of three weeks in Stockholm and one week in Myanmar to enhance the participants understanding of intellectual property rights with emphasis on their contribution for economic growth, trade, and development. It had an audience of around 25 participants from countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Malawi, Lao PDR, Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, Bhutan, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Cambodia, Burundi, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia.
289. Finally the UK also held several training courses on IP, with participants from Nigeria, Jamaica, Kenya, Georgia, South Africa, St Lucia, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Egypt and also on Trademarks and Design specific for Malaysia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Burma and the Philippines.