The International Trademark Association (INTA) today in Singapore launched a report on the economic contribution of trademark-intensive industries to five ASEAN economies – Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand – that together account 90% of the ASEAN region’s GDP. James Allan, Director, Frontier Economics Australia and Singapore, presented the report’s key finding and methodology. The research was led by Amar Breckenridge, Senior Associate, Frontier Economics, Europe.

The report, the first of its kind for the region, underscored the importance of trademark-intensive industries to the region. Of these industries, computers and electronics are the most significant in terms of their contribution to value add and employment. Food, motor vehicles and chemicals are also significant in some of the countries studied. Taking into account direct and indirect contributions, these industries accounted for between 40% and 60% of GDP in the countries concerned. Econometric modelling suggested that for the five countries as a whole, productivity per worker was nearly twice as high in trademark intensive industries than in others.

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