IP body opposes plain packaging

The ASEAN Intellectual Property Association (ASEAN-IPA) wants Malaysia’s Health Ministry to reconsider its proposal to require plain packaging for tobacco products, reports Bernama, the country’s national news agency.

In a statement on March 7, the association said the proposal violated intellectual property rights.

“It will steer intellectual property rights protection in a backward direction both economically and socially,” it said.

ASEAN-IPA President Chew Phye Keat said plain packaging would contribute to a spike in contraband tobacco and encourage the emergence of counterfeit products.

“Such regulations would not only impact the tobacco industry but also other industries in the future,” he said.

Chew said strong protection of intellectual property rights was important, specifically in trade markets, as they were used to identify and distinguish products from one another.

“While the right and duty of the government to promote public health is not questioned, plain packaging does not appear to us to be a balanced approach to deal with health issues,” he said.