23 February 2026
Southeast Asia’s food and beverage market is growing fast — and so is the competition. A Clarivate IP landscape report (commissioned by WIPO) looking at Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand shows a clear trend: brands are protecting their trade marks at speed, while patent activity is more uneven.
Trade marks are accelerating
Across the five markets, food and beverage trade mark filings have risen strongly since 2020, with the report estimating around 42% growth from 2017 to 2024.
That tells you what businesses are prioritising: shelf impact, online visibility, and consumer trust. In crowded markets, the name and packaging identity often become the real moat.
Patents are present, but not always commercially driven
The report indicates patent activity has slowed or plateaued in many places, and in some markets a large share of filings appears to come from universities and public institutions.
In practice, that often means private companies may be leaning more on brand strategy and trade secrets, and using patents only when they create clear commercial leverage (e.g., packaging function, processing improvements, defensible ingredient technologies).
Country differences matter
The report highlights that ASEAN isn’t one market — it’s five very different IP environments:
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Indonesia leads in overall volumes, reflecting both market size and intensity.
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The Philippines shows strong trade mark growth and heavy use of utility models.
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Singapore continues to act as a regional IP hub.
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Thailand has seen fewer “new” trade marks since 2019, suggesting more consolidation and brand extension behaviour.
What smart F&B businesses do
The winning approach tends to be “integrated IP”:
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Clear and file trade marks early (before expansion announcements and distribution deals).
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Protect differentiators selectively — patent what’s genuinely defensible and valuable, keep the rest as trade secrets.
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Plan your sub-brands (product line names) because that’s where expansion and copycats often collide.
If you’re planning to expand into ASEAN (or you’re already selling there), IP Solved can help you pressure-test your brand name, map the right filing countries, and build a practical protection plan (trade marks + patents/trade secrets) that matches your commercial rollout. Reach out and we’ll give you a clear, step-by-step game plan before the market forces you into a rebrand or a dispute.
