Singapore, 2 May 2011 – The Originals IP Race is back for a second year after receiving a successful turnout at the inaugural event held last year.
2 Held in celebration of World IP Day, the Honour Intellectual Property (HIP) Alliance, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) organised the Originals IP Race to educate Singaporeans about Intellectual Property (IP) through an exhilarating half-day race which had participants solving thrilling IP-related challenges, bringing about a learning experience that was both interactive and entertaining.
3 This year, the race aims to educate participants on the fundamental message that IP is prevalent in our daily lives by focusing on the five key passions: food, the arts, work, entertainment and sports – aspects that are relevant and integral to everyone's lives.
4 Gracing The Originals IP Race at *SCAPE (The Warehouse) was Guest-of-Honour, Mr Quek Tong Boon, Chairman of IPOS who shared, “Through the race, participants will come to realise just how pervasive IP is in their daily lives and learn to appreciate the creative efforts behind them. I hope that participants will be able to translate such IP awareness into respect for IP created by others and become IP creators and innovators themselves."
The Race is Back, Bigger and Better
5 This year's race saw an impressive turnout of 240 participants, forming more than 60 teams, twice the number from the race last year, indicating growing interest in IP.
6 Apart from drawing inspiration from everyday life to educate its participants, this year’s race also employed multi-sensory activities in the various pit stops. An example of this was a grueling physical duel involving participants in a pirate game – a tongue-in-cheek approach to educate participants on the importance of winning the battle against pirates (piracy). Participants also visited the Singapore Biennale 2011 exhibits at the Singapore Arts Museum as part of the challenge, demonstrating that art exhibits are forms of IP too.
Performances by Local Acts
7 After a day of learning under the sun, participants were treated to an entertainment feast comprising of original musical acts from renowned bands such as Juz B - an award-winning accapella group; Bloco Singapura - a percussionist group led by Singapore multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Syed Ahmad; and United Groovers - a hip-hop dance crew who have danced alongside artists such as Wang Lee Hom and Coco Lee. The winning teams of The Originals IP Race also walked away with attractive prizes worth up to $5,000!
8 Beyond the World IP Day celebration, the HIP Alliance has put together a series of events in the coming months to continually engage the masses. These include The Originals HIP Adventure - a roving concept bus retrofitted with interactive IP exhibits; The Originals IP Champion Camp - a three-day camp for secondary school students to create their own IP; and The Originals Get Reel Contest - an anti-piracy trailer contest opened to youths.
9 Members of the public can check out more information on The Originals IP Race 2011 at www.hipalliance.com and keep updated with upcoming events at www.facebook.com/HIPalliance.
- END -
About IPOS
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), a statutory board under the Ministry of Law since April 2001, is the lead government agency which advises on and administers intellectual property (IP) laws, promotes IP awareness and provides the infrastructure to facilitate the development of IP in Singapore. With IP fast becoming a critical resource in today’s economy, IPOS’s vision is to foster a creative Singapore where ideas and intellectual efforts are valued, developed and exploited. More information on IPOS can be found on www.ipos.gov.sg.
About HIP Alliance
The HIP (Honour Intellectual Property) Alliance is IPOS’ key outreach and educational initiative based on a collaborative effort between the public and private sector by championing the movement towards awareness of and respect for IP. The HIP Alliance aims to promote innovation and a healthy attitude towards IP rights with the support of our like-minded HIP Partners. As part of our efforts to encourage Singaporeans to adopt a pro-IP lifestyle, HIP Alliance runs a calendar of educational and exciting events/activities for members of the public, schools and HIP Friends.
Media Contact: Ms. Vanessa Koh / Ms Julie Chiang
DID: 6536 6881
HP: 9239 2660 / 9009 5781
Email: vanessa@asiaprwerkz.com/julie@asiaprwerkz.com
IPOS Liaison: Ms. Stephanie Leong
Public Relations Department
DID: 6331 6574
Email: stephanie_leong@ipos.gov.sg