Singapore, 12 July 2012 – In line with the national agenda to establish Singapore as an Intellectual Property (IP) Hub of Asia, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) organised the inaugural IP Week @ SG. A first of its kind in Singapore, the week-long event is being held at the Resorts World Convention Centre. More than 500 local and regional delegates benefitted from the active sharing and discussions on the use of IP as a key business advantage in an globalised world. The activities included the IP Management for C-Suite Seminar (IPMCS), the Europe Asia Patent and Patent Information Conference (EAP2IC), as well as the 38th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC).
2 Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Lim Hng Kiang, was the Guest-of-Honour at IPMCS. The event saw a meeting of business and IP thought leaders who exchanged insights on the latest trends and developments in IP management and commercialisation in multi-national corporations as well as small-and-medium enterprises. The results from the latest Asia Pacific Intellectual Property Scorecard were also announced at IPMCS. The study, conducted by the NUS Entrepreneurship Centre, revealed that Singapore ranked fourth in the Asia Pacifiic region for patent propensity[1], and it topped the ranking in terms of patent quality, as well as overall IP performance measured on a per capita basis - this was an improvement over the third place ranking in 2005.
3 Mr Francis Gurry, Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), was one of the distinguished guests at IP Week @ SG. He delivered the keynote address at IPMCS, and would be meeting the Heads of ASEAN IP Offices and top Singapore officials during his visit. Mr Gurry's visit reaffirmed the excellent collaboration between WIPO and IPOS and underscored the importance of Singapore as a global node for IP activities. Since 2005, WIPO had set up the WIPO Singapore Office (WSO) as well as a WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre (AMC) in 2010 to service IP businesses in the region.
4 Mr Gurry said, "It is my pleasure to be here in Singapore to witness and participate in the buzzing IP activities in this region. The IP Week @ SG is an affirmation of Singapore's strong IP regime and commitment towards IP protection and exploitation. WIPO looks forward to deepening our cooperation with IPOS to make IP services more accessible to the region."
5 As part of the IP Week @ SG, IPOS also hosted the 38th AWGIPC, alongside the 3rd ASEAN-China Heads of IP Offices Meeting and the 2nd ASEAN-Japan Heads of IP Offices Meeting. These meetings addressed cooperation initiatives under the ASEAN IPR Action Plan 2011-2015 and explored new collaborations. They also discussed forward plans for the ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation ("ASPEC") initiative, which was spearheaded by Singapore to facilitate the work sharing of search and examination efforts amongst participating ASEAN IP Offices.
6 A number of collaboration agreements were signed during the inaugural IP Week @ SG. These included an MOU between IPOS and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) to deepen bilateral cooperation between the two countries, in areas such as patent examiners exchange and facilitation of patent agent engagements. A Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) was also endorsed between ASEAN and Japan in the field of trademarks, industrial designs and patents. These MOUs will not only strengthen bilateral and regional cooperation, but also enable Singapore to better serve the growth in demand for IP services in the region.
7 EAP2IC, which is jointly organised by IPOS, WIPO and the European Patent Office (EPO), will be held tomorrow as a finale to the week-long activities. The event will celebrate its 10th year as a leading patent conference in the region.
8 Mr Tan Yih San, Chief Executive of IPOS, said: "IPOS is delighted to host the series of regional IP activities under the inaugural IP Week @ SG initiative. The IP Week @ SG has provided a useful platform for key stakeholders in the region such as WIPO, SIPO, EPO, JPO, US PTO, and ASEAN IP Offices to come together to discuss and strengthen IP cooperation in the region. IPOS is committed to contributing to the growth of IP services in the region through building stronger collaborations with key partners and continual efforts to ensure that our IP regime remains robust. We are honoured to serve the needs of our businesses and build Singapore as an IP hub of Asia."
9 For more information regarding IP Week @ SG, please visit www.ipweeksg.com.
Media Contact:
Ms Belinda Wong
DID: 6331 6581
Email: Belinda_Wong@ipos.gov.sg
Ms Stephanie Leong
DID: 6331 6574
Email: Stephanie_Leong@ipos.gov.sg
About IPOS
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), a statutory board under the Ministry of Law since April 2001, is the lead government agency that advises on and administers intellectual property (IP) laws, promotes IP awareness and provides the infrastructure to facilitate the development of IP in Singapore. With IP fast becoming a critical resource in today’s new economy, IPOS’s vision is to foster a creative Singapore where ideas and intellectual efforts are valued, developed and exploited. More information on IPOS can be found on www.ipos.gov.sg.
[1] Patent propensity refers to the absolute number of patents produced per capita.