Investigate IP - Detective IP

Singapore, June 03, 2003 – Detective IP, the latest icon to champion intellectual property (IP) was introduced by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) at St Hilda’s Primary School today.
Ms Liew Woon Yin, Director General of IPOS launched two products featuring Detective IP. First, a fun and interactive CD-ROM entitled “A Thief, A Liar & The Ignoramuses”. This CD ROM aims to help students acquire basic IP knowledge by helping Detective IP solve his cases. Complementing the CD-ROM is Singapore’s first multimedia website on Intellectual Property for the schools sector. The website at www.iperckidz.gov.sg is a one-stop education resource that aims to provide students and teachers with easy to comprehend facts on IP.
Speaking at the launch, Ms Liew Woon Yin, Director General of IPOS remarked that Singapore’s future growth and prosperity depends on our nation’s ability to realise the creative potential of our people. “Creativity and innovation are inherent in our youths. They have the potential to be inventors, creators and owners of IP in the future. We want them to realise the importance of protecting their IP and be a custodian of their ideas from young.”
Sharing similar perspectives, Mrs Foo Sook Fong, Principal of St Hilda’s Primary School expressed welcome for the product. “Both the CD-ROM and website will make the children more aware of the existence of the intellectual property rights attached to different information, materials and resources. It will also educate them of their rights to protect their creations and innovations. This is especially relevant in today’s knowledge-based economy whereby children in schools are given opportunities and encouraged to create, innovate and take on projects to experience entrepreneurship.”
Detective IP, who made a personal appearance at the event, told the students, “Be very curious. Always look beyond the obvious. IP is all around us. It’s everywhere. Learn to investigate IP and join me by becoming a junior Detective IP!”
The Detective IP CD ROM is designed to create an entertaining learning experience for kids. Comprising four different games, players will journey through each game investigating IP-related cases. Along the way, players will pick up the fundamentals of copyright, design, trade mark and patent. Comic strips have been added to augment the fun-learning experience. Upon successful completion of a quiz, players will graduate as Junior IP Detectives.
The Junior IP Detectives can then move on to the iperckidz website at www.iperckidz.gov.sg to attempt two more levels of quizzes and eventually emerge as Super Ace Detectives. All Super Ace Detectives will be issued with limited editions of a Detective IP collateral by IPOS.
Adopting a similar interface as the game, the website contains a wealth of information for students interested in the subject of IP. It even features a discussion forum for students to post their IP-related queries online, which would be answered by Detective IP.
Both the CD ROM and iperckidz website will be used as learning resources for IPOS’ school programmes. To introduce and promote the use of these resources, there would be roadshows to schools led by Detective IP. The CD-ROM and iperckidz website will also be used as resource tools for educational initiatives.

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.