Best IP Business Plan Clinched IPOS Spark Award

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) supports the 6th Start-Up@Singapore National Business Plan Competition

Singapore, 30 May 2005 – Team InfinityCorp from the General Category of 6th Start-up@Singapore was awarded the IPOS Spark Award last Saturday. The announcement was made at the Prize Presentation Ceremony held at Pan Pacific Hotel. The winners were commended for having demonstrated the best use of intellectual property (IP) in their business plans.

This is the first time that the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) is supporting Startup@Singapore and Ms Liew Woon Yin, Director-General of IPOS is confident that the collaboration will generate greater awareness of IP amongst entrepreneurs, “It is hoped that through our participation in 6th Start-Up@Singapore National Business Plan Competition, aspiring entrepreneurs and start-ups will be encouraged to protect & exploit their intellectual property rights (IPR) as well as incorporate these IPR in the early stages of their business plans.”

Teams vying for the IPOS Spark Award were given a preparatory lecture on IP during the course of the competition to teach them how to incorporate IP strategies into their business plan. They were then required to use the knowledge they have acquired to explain how they plan to exploit their IP and show the use of IP strategies in their business plans.

This is not the first time that the IPOS Spark Award has been presented to individuals who have attained excellence in both the understanding and application of IP. The Award was last presented at the Nanyang Technological University National Business Plan Competition 2004.

Other than the presentation of the IPOS Spark Award to the winners of the General Category, IPOS also awarded winners of both the Secondary School and Junior College Category in the Make Your Mark! 2005 3rd National Trade Marks Competition with the inaugural IPOS Junior Spark Award, held in conjunction with Start-Up@Singapore National Business Plan Competition and Enterprise Launcher.

The winning trade marks will be featured on the iperckidz website (http://www.iperckidz.gov.sg). “Make Your Mark! 2005” was proudly sponsored by the Brand Names Education Foundation and Ella Cheong Spruson & Ferguson, and co-sponsored by Nokia Private Limited.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Melanie Koh
Corporate Communications
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore
DID: +65 6331 6574
Mobile: +65 97961015
Fax: +65 6331 6562
Email: Melanie_KOH@ipos.gov.sg
Visit us at www.ipos.gov.sg

About IPOS
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore or IPOS 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. More information on IPOS can be found on www.ipos.gov.sg.

About Iperckidz
Iperckidz (http://www.iperckidz.gov.sg) is an IP education and outreach initiative for schools by IPOS. It is specially designed to make learning IP easy and fun. We offer resources, organise programmes and participate in selected activities to promote IP awareness and education among students and teachers in Singapore. The programme was launched in June 2003 by IPOS Director-General, Ms. Liew Woon Yin.

About Start-Up@Singapore
Currently into its sixth year of running, Start-Up @ Singapore has become a launching pad for aspiring entrepreneurs jointly organized by NUS Entrepreneurship Centre, Business School Alumni Association and NUS Entrepreneurship Society. Since it was initiated in 1999, there have been more than 12,800 contestants and 845 teams who participated, and more than 40 start-ups spun off from the competition. Besides the Nokia and NESCAFE categories, there is a main category of the competition called the General Category.