{"id":20652,"date":"2026-05-18T15:55:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T07:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/hk\/?page_id=20652"},"modified":"2026-05-18T17:04:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T09:04:38","slug":"aspec","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/hk\/en\/aspec\/","title":{"rendered":"ASPEC"},"content":{"rendered":"
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    ASPEC<\/h1>\n

    Expanding your business from Hong Kong into the ASEAN region just got a significant upgrade. On 6 April 2026<\/strong>, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and its ASEAN partners launched ASPEC+<\/strong>, a new programme designed to streamline patent protection across Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n

    For Hong Kong companies looking to secure their inventions in multiple markets simultaneously, here is everything you need to know about this new fast-track route.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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      What is ASPEC+?<\/h2>\n

      While the original ASPEC (ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation) has been around for years, the new ASPEC+<\/strong> is an optional \"premium\" route.<\/p>\n

      Instead of waiting for one country to approve your patent before asking others to follow suit, ASPEC+ allows participating patent offices to work together at the same time<\/strong>. The goal? Highly aligned results and faster approvals\u2014aiming for a timeline of 10 to 14 months<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      ASPEC vs. ASPEC+: Which fits your strategy?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Feature<\/strong><\/td>\nRegular ASPEC<\/strong><\/td>\nASPEC+ (The New Route)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
      Workflow<\/strong><\/td>\nSequential:<\/strong> You use a win in one country to speed up the others.<\/td>\nParallel:<\/strong> Multiple offices coordinate their review from the start.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Timing<\/strong><\/td>\nCan be requested after a positive report is issued.<\/td>\nMust be requested at the start<\/strong> (before any reports are issued).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Consistency<\/strong><\/td>\nResults are usually similar, but reviews happen at different times.<\/td>\nOffices aim for identical or closely aligned<\/strong> results simultaneously.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Best For<\/strong><\/td>\nTesting the waters in one market first.<\/td>\nRapid, simultaneous expansion across multiple ASEAN markets.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      Key Rules for ASPEC+<\/h2>\n

      To benefit from this coordinated \"team-up\" between patent offices, there are a few specific requirements:<\/p>\n

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      • Same Claims:<\/strong> Your patent claims must be identical or very similar across all selected countries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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        • Clean Slate:<\/strong> You must file the ASPEC+ request before any of the chosen offices have issued their first examination report.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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          • No Extra Official Fees:<\/strong> There is currently no additional official fee<\/strong> to join ASPEC+ (though standard national filing fees still apply).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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            • National Exceptions:<\/strong> Some restrictions remain. For example, the Philippines excludes pharmaceutical patents from ASPEC+, and Malaysia excludes divisional applications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Summary Table: Which Path to Choose?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
              Client Objective<\/strong><\/td>\nRecommended Route<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
              Speed to Market:<\/strong> Need protection in 12 months for a product launch.<\/td>\nASPEC+<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Risk Mitigation:<\/strong> Invention is complex or in a \"grey area\" of law.<\/td>\nRegular ASPEC<\/strong> (Sequential)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Budget Efficiency:<\/strong> Want to minimize total attorney hours across 5+ countries.<\/td>\nASPEC+<\/strong> (Harmonized responses)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Budget Sensitivity:<\/strong> Want to pay for one country at a time to test the market.<\/td>\nRegular ASPEC<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

              How Accolade Can Help<\/h2>\n

              Navigating the IP landscape across 10 different ASEAN nations requires more than just filing paperwork; it requires a regional roadmap. With our deep roots in Hong Kong<\/strong> and expertise across the Asia-Pacific, Accolade<\/strong> helps you turn these regulatory changes into competitive advantages.<\/p>\n

              We support your ASEAN expansion by:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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              • Strategic Audits:<\/strong> Determining if ASPEC+ or the regular route better suits your specific invention and budget.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                • Office Selection:<\/strong> Advising which ASEAN jurisdictions to prioritize based on your market-entry goals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                  • Harmonized Responses:<\/strong> If an objection arises, we coordinate a consistent response across all offices to keep your applications on track.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                    • Global Integration:<\/strong> Aligning your ASEAN filings with your broader international strategy (including PCT pathways).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                      • Ready to protect your innovation in ASEAN?<\/strong> Contact our patent team today to discuss how ASPEC+ can accelerate your growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                        What is ASPEC+? While the original ASPEC (ASEAN Pa […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/template-full-notitle.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-20652","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20652"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20668,"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20652\/revisions\/20668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accoladeip.com\/hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}