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The Indonesian delegation participating in the eighth round of the Indonesia-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (ICA-CEPA) negotiations held in Ottawa, Canada, on June 24-28, 2024. (ANTARA/HO-DJKI Kemenkumham) - 

VOInews, Jakarta : The Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights stated that the eighth round of the Indonesia-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (ICA-CEPA) negotiations agreed on potential stronger cooperation in protecting intellectual property.

"The Indonesia and Canada cooperation especially covers the micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) sector and communal intellectual property," the ministry's Director for Cooperation and Education, Yasmon, noted in a statement from his ministry here on Monday.

He explained that the ICA-CEPA plays a strategic role in bolstering intellectual property cooperation between Indonesia and Canada. This, he said, is because the two countries have strong economic cooperation, with Indonesia being Canada's leading partner in Southeast Asia in terms of trade cooperation.

Yasmon noted that in the eighth round of negotiations, held in Ottawa on June 24-28, the discussions focused on matters about patents, trade secrets, copyright, and geographical indications.

In addition to closer cooperation in the field of intellectual property, Yasmon stated that the eighth round of ICA-CEPA negotiations also succeeded in reaching an agreement regarding the subject of patents, grace periods, and patent publication.

Meanwhile, regarding trade secrets, he pointed out that further discussions were still necessary on several aspects, especially concerning the protection of confidential information relating to government employees.

At the eighth round of negotiations, the Indonesian delegation was led by Yasmon.

The ICA-CEPA was first launched on June 20, 2021, and since then, eight rounds of negotiations have been held.

The ninth round of negotiations is scheduled to be held in September 2024, and the negotiations are planned to be concluded in Indonesia in the same year//Antara-VOI