A Free Virtual IP Doctor for Singapore Businesses

SINGAPORE, September 24, 2003 – The Intellectual Property Office Singapore (IPOS) unveiled a brand new national Intellectual Property Management programme for enterprises in Singapore. Known as “Strategies for Creation, Ownership, Protection and Exploitation of IP” or SCOPE IP in short, it will be introduced in two phases. The announcement was made by Assoc Prof Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Ministry of Law and Home Affairs at the inaugural session of the IP Management Insight Series
Speaking at the event, Assoc Prof Ho commented that more Singapore companies need to learn how to harness their intellectual resources to produce IP and to effectively deploy that IP arsenal for maximum value. "The new ecology of competition is all about IP management and strategy. Hence, the new IP management framework initiated by IPOS is very timely. It will help our companies take stock of the IPs that they own and have them aligned with their corporate strategies. This will be done with the aim to increase revenue, reduce costs, heighten their focus on research and development (R&D) and ultimately enhance value for stakeholders."
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) also commended Singapore on its commitment to the promotion of intellectual property (IP) for wealth creation and economic prosperity. Dr Kamil Indris, Director-General of WIPO remarked "WIPO supports Singapore's proactive IP policies that promote the strategic management of IP by enterprises and institutions through practical and user-friendly tools. IP is often one of the most important assets of an enterprise. A company's ability to take stock, manage and exploit its IP assets can lead to significant revenues, profitability and increased value for the enterprise. WIPO welcomes Singapore's initiative to make such auditing materials publicly available on-line."
Phase One of SCOPE IP is a handy and practical tool to help Singapore businesses get started with the IP Management process. In the form of an online self-assessment diagnostic tool, SCOPE IP Phase One plays the role of a virtual IP doctor providing free consultation to all Singapore businesses. Hosted on IPOS' IP portal, SurfIP, the virtual IP doctor module is tailored for use by Senior Management of corporations.. The module will help companies identify and inventorise their IP stock and generate a report detailing the companies' strengths and weaknesses in its IP deployment. The tool is available with immediate effect. Businesses need only to sign up at www.surfip.gov.sg for a free assessment by the virtual IP doctor.
Phase Two of SCOPE IP involves the development of a set of "best practice" protocols on IP management as a framework for use by IP consultants practising in Singapore in assessing the IP capabilities of enterprises. Besides establishing a pool of high quality IP specialists in Singapore and sharpening the competitive edge of our companies, the assessment based on the standard set of protocols could also facilitate an enterprise's future business negotiations such as their intent to obtain financing for new ventures, M & A activities and so on. IPOS is currently working closely with agencies such as the Economic Development Board and SPRING Singapore on the possible assistance schemes to help fund these assessments for our companies. Details of the roll out of Phase Two of SCOPE IP will be announced early next year.
Elaborating on the benefits of SCOPE IP, Ms Liew Woon Yin, Director-General, IPOS said that "The SCOPE IP programme is designed with the needs of the end users in mind. Whether you are a small set up or a large enterprise, a start-up or an established brand, SCOPE IP gives you a leg up by providing self help tools, access to IP experts and opportunities for business growth. Going forward, in this last aspect, SCOPE IP can be particularly useful for companies who have plans to source for funding. Both venture capitalists and financial institutions will find it easier to evaluate the IP capabilities of companies when they are assessed against objective guidelines under SCOPE IP. For now, we would strongly urge all businesses to start their journey towards better management of their IPs by first consulting our free virtual IP doctor."
The IP Management Insight Series is co-organised by IPOS, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Singapore Institute of Directors and the Singapore Exchange. The series is a platform to engage leading businesses and Senior managers on how to leverage on IP to grow their businesses.

For media enquiry, please contact:

Ms Jennifer Chen
Assistant Director
Media & Marketing Communications
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)
DID: 6331 6548 HP: 93691839
Fax: 63316562
Email: Jennifer_Chen@ipos.gov.sg

About IPOS
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore or IPOS (http://www.ipos.gov.sg) is the lead government agency that formulates and regulates intellectual property (IP) laws, promotes IP awareness and provides the infrastructure to facilitate the greater 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. Formerly known as the Registry of Trade Marks and Patents, IPOS was established as a statutory board of the Ministry of Law on 1 April 2001.