JOINT PRESS RELEASE
INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION AND IP EXPERTS IN SINGAPORE FOR THE WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION’S ARBITRATION WORKSHOP 2012
1 More than 50 local and international intellectual property (IP) and arbitration professionals will gather at Maxwell Chambers in Singapore from 18 to 19 October 2012 for the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Arbitration Workshop 2012, organised by the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center [1].
2 This annual workshop is being held outside WIPO’s headquarters (Geneva, Switzerland) for the first time since the workshop’s inception in 1996. This Singapore session follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in September 2011 by Dr Francis Gurry, Director General of WIPO, and BG(NS) Tan Yih San, Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) [2].
3 The WIPO Arbitration Workshop promotes alternative dispute resolution (ADR) options for disputes involving IP rights, and aims to meet increasing demand for training in such areas. Designed for lawyers, patent and trademark attorneys, and other IP practitioners, the workshop will provide participants with a better understanding of international commercial arbitration and how it works in IP disputes, as well as the application of the WIPO Arbitration Rules.
4 The hosting of the workshop in Singapore reflects Singapore’s role as a growing arbitration venue and augments the Ministry of Law and IPOS’ ongoing efforts to expand Singapore’s role as an IP hub of Asia, including for IP dispute resolution. The workshop follows the successful conclusion of the inaugural IP Week @ SG [3] in July 2012 and will help deepen existing expertise in IP ADR services in Singapore and the region.
5 The Director of the WIPO Center, Mr Erik Wilbers, said, "Singapore has become a globally recognised arbitration venue. With its legal and IP infrastructure, Singapore is also striving to establish itself as an IP hub. Supported by the Singaporean authorities, the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center Office in Singapore at the remarkable Maxwell Chambers, expands WIPO’s alternative dispute resolution activities in the region.”
6 This year’s workshop faculty comprises IP experts who are WIPO arbitrators with extensive international arbitration experience. They are:
· Teresa Cheng, Des Voeux Chambers, Hong Kong, SAR of China;
· Trevor Cook, Bird & Bird, London, UK;
· David Perkins, Arnold & Porter (UK), London, UK;
· Lucy Reed, Freshfields, Bruckhaus, Deringer, Hong Kong, SAR of China; and
· Richard Tan, Stamford Law Corporation, Singapore.
7 More information on the workshop is in Annex A and further information on the workshop’s faculty is in Annex B. A list of media interviewees and their biographies are in Annex C.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF SINGAPORE
WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION CENTER
17 OCTOBER 2012
Media Contact:
Ms Belinda Wong
Senior Executive
Public Relations Department
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore
DID: 6331-6581
Email: belinda_wong@ipos.gov.sg
Mr. Leandro Toscano
WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center Office in Singapore
Maxwell Chambers
DID: 6225-2129
Email: arbiter.mail@wipo.int
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[1] The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center Singapore Office was established in May 2010. In addition to offering procedural dispute resolution guidance and administering procedures under the WIPO Rules, the WIPO Center's Singapore Office organises training for alternative dispute resolution of IP related disputes.
[2] The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by IPOS and WIPO allows disputes involving ownership and validity of IP rights registered in Singapore to be resolved through alternative dispute resolution under the WIPO Rules. The new procedures enhance the options for parties to settle their Singapore disputes and may even lead to a global settlement. Following implementation of this new scheme in January 2012, the first trademark mediations involving international parties filed with the WIPO Center’s Office in Singapore have meanwhile successfully concluded. Likewise under the MOU, the IP Academy of Singapore and the WIPO Center have jointly scheduled a seminar on Expert Determination for Patent Disputes on 16 October 2012.
[3] More than 500 local and regional delegates attended IP Week @ SG, which saw events such as the Intellectual Property Management for C-Suite Seminar (IPMCS) 2012, Europe Asia Patent and Patent Information Conference (EAP2IC) 2012 and the 38th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC)