More than 1,200 People Celebrate World IP Day at a Movie Marathon

SINGAPORE, 21 April 2007 - More than 1,200 members of the public gathered today at the Shaw Beach Road cinema for a free movie marathon presented by the HIP (Honour Intellectual Property) Alliance, an initiative of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS). This mega movie marathon has the support of local association – Motion Picture Distributors Association Singapore (MPDAS) which provided the new movie titles.

Movie-goers were treated to screenings of two new movies – The Last Mimzy and Wild Hogs, as well as an exclusive screening of The Good Shepherd, starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, appearing the first and only time in Singapore.

Director-General of IPOS, Ms Liew Woon Yin said

“This movie marathon is a fun but meaningful way to remind young people that when buying a movie ticket or legitimate copies of DVDs, this conscious choice will help protect the future of the film industry. In addition, we want to remind young people of the risks of online piracy, in terms of both the legal and civil penalties that they could incur as well as the possible risks in exposing their private data.”

“This movie marathon is particularly significant as it highlights three parties’ commitment against movie piracy – Government, industry and the public,” commented Mr Brett Hogg, President of MPDAS.

The movie marathon is one of many initiatives and events organised by the HIP Alliance to raise awareness of the importance of rejecting piracy, in particular online movie piracy among the youths in the lead up to World IP Day on 26 April 2007.

Following the movie marathon, IPOS will announce the findings of a perception survey and the launch of a new advertising campaign on 25 April 2007. The new advertising campaign will go live on World IP Day, 26 April 2007, a day that marks an opportunity to reflect on the importance of protecting IP and fostering creative innovation.

Earlier this month, IPOS announced a collaboration with the Business Software Association (BSA) to launch a software self-auditing program for businesses, which provides companies in Singapore the opportunity to ensure that their office software is properly licensed and avoid potential penalties.

“IPOS also partnered with the Motion Picture Association to launch a brochure for young people, outlining the risks of online piracy of movies. Two hundred thousand copies of this brochure have been distributed in schools across Singapore,” Liew added.

“IPOS and HIP Alliance will continue to develop initiatives and events to enhance the level of understanding and appreciation of the value of IP in Singapore.”

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For media enquiry, please contact:

Ms Kristy Weller / Zixin Chai
Lewis Singapore
Tel: + 65 6534 7250
Hp: + 65 9069 3844 / +65 9850 6780
Email: kristyw@lewispr.com / zixinc@lewispr.com

Angelia Chia
Media & Marketing Communications Intellectual Property Office of Singapore
DID: +65 6331 6572
Hp: +65 9369 1839
Email: angelia_chia@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’ 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 HIP Alliance
HIP stands for Honour Intellectual Property. It is IPOS’ key educational initiative to encourage innovation and creativity in Singapore, with strong support from the private sector, public sector and industry associations. HIP aims to promote a positive attitude towards IP and encourages a Pro-IP lifestyle for everyone to ‘Be Creative, Be Original, and Be HIP’. With support from the HIP Alliance members, IPOS intends to motivate the Singapore community to join together to ‘Say No to Piracy’ and support legitimate businesses that create legitimate products and services to make Singapore an IP safe country. For more information, please visit http://www.hipfriends.org.sg

Current HIP Alliance Members include:

Alliance Entertainment Ltd
Anti-Video Piracy Associaiton of Singapore (AVPAS)
Business Software Alliance (BSA)
CineNow Singapore Pte Ltd
Composers and Authors Society of Singapore Pte Ltd (COMPASS)
Electronic Arts (EA)
Entertainment Software Association (ESA)
Game Axis
Giordano Originals (S) Pte Ltd
Hewlett-Packard Far East Pte Ltd
International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC)
LEVIS Strauss & Co
Microsoft Singapore Pte Ltd
Motion Picture Association (MPA)
MovieXclusive.com
Music Publishers (S) Ltd
Odex Pte Ltd
POWER 98FM
Recording Industry Association of Singapore (RIAS)
RotiBoy Bakeshoppe
Scorpio East Entertainment Pte Ltd
Singapore Ministry of Education (Curriculum Planning & Development Division)
Singapore Police Force (Intellectual Property Rights Branch)
Soundbuzz Pte Ltd
The Copyright Licensing and Administration Society of Singapore Limited (CLASS)
W!LD RICE