On December 1, 1996, the ASEAN Intellectual Property Association was officially established and granted official NGO status by the ASEAN Secretariat in 1998.   

The ASEAN IPA comprises individual members who are citizens of, or persons domiclied in, an ASEAN country as well as organization members, which are registered or incorporated or otherwise legally recognized as carrying on business or having a presence in an ASEAN country, concerned with intellectual property.

The ASEAN IPA has over 200 corporate and individual members from Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The members of the ASEAN IPA shall pay a subscription which shall be determined by the ASEAN IPA Council.