Speech by Senior Assistant Director General (IPOS) at opening of the Europe-Asia Patent Information

Speech by Senior Assistant Director General (IPOS), Mr. Viktor Cheng at the opening of the Europe-Asia Patent Information Conference 2007, 13 Sep 2007, at Suntec Convention

Good morning Mr. Niclas Morey, Head Asia Unit, International Affairs, European Patent Office, BG Yap Ong Heng, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Law, distinguished speakers, ladies and gentlemen.
There are several reasons why it is a pleasure for me to be here today representing the IP Office of Singapore (IPOS) at this conference.
The Europe-Asia Patent Information Conference (EAPIC) was initiated in 2002 with the aim of promoting the use of patent information products & services and fostering business opportunities for the community. It may surprise many here but I was also present at EAPIC 2002. Not as an IPOS officer, but in fact as a speaker from industry at that very first conference. I have seen the conference evolve over the years – growing in depth; paralleling the deepening of IP awareness in the region and the value-add application of IP by industry.
At that first EAPIC, our guest-of-honour Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs, Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee drew an analogy between developments in the IP field to the discovery of gold in the late 1840s. EAPIC then used the imagery of gold to reiterate the wealth potential of patent information. IP was the new "gold" … waiting to be unearthed and exploited.
Five years down the road, it perhaps timely to refine this analogy. To create even more value-add, the raw ore that has been mined would now need to be crafted and molded into objects of even greater value. Similarly EAPIC has focused its direction. The programme now provides more opportunities for participants to refine their skills at workshops which allow hands-on practice and direct access to these IP information mines. We intend to develop not only mere understanding of IP information but skills in IP intelligence.
The intelligence gathered from a comprehensive patent search can feed into all aspects of the IP cycle:
- Researchers can focus research to prevent re-inventing the wheel.
- Patent agents can determine the novelty of an invention and scope out claims for more effective protection.
- Business managers can identify potential competitors and collaborators by mapping out other players in the same technology field.
Such skills in mining and using patent information would have been very useful to me as an inventor and businessman when I first ventured into the field some years ago. At that time, my focus was on getting the needed protection for my invention and exploiting it. Looking back, I would have gained much insight from the intelligence gathered from patent information.
Thus as someone who had started off as an inventor in the industry, with an understanding of on-the-ground business needs, looking at it now from a developmental policy perspective, I truly believe that this more practical and focused direction would best meet the region’s needs at this time. These skills would allow our companies to refine the raw potential in IP to application at many levels. With the tools in hand, and the skills to use it, the industry can go even further in generating value from IP.
As part of the IPOS team, I am glad to still have the opportunity to play a part at EAPIC; this event that has provided a platform for the emerging IP industry to meet, find opportunities for strategic partnerships, and grow together.
EPO and IPOS have been able to build on that first foundational conference to work on other value-added programmes. Out of this has spun out the EPO Search and Exam course which was conducted for several years in Singapore – a programme which provided depth on patent search and examination practices of the EPO. EPO and IPOS also jointly organised 2 Heads of IP Offices Conferences – bringing together leaders of the IP field to Singapore to share ideas and find areas of commonality. Hence the outcome of that first EAPIC has been a deepening of skills and understanding at both industry and policy levels.
I believe that for our partner, the EPO, this has always been its direction and ultimate aim. The EPO has been for many years a key collaborator for IPOS and other IP offices in the region. My colleagues from other IP offices gathered here today are aware of the value the EPO has brought through its many programmes.
Despite being one of the largest and busiest patent offices in the world, it is certainly to EPO’s credit that it continues to support the growth of IP offices in developing regions. The EPO has always understood that growing and encouraging the intelligent application of IP strategies to a country’s and company’s strategic directions would be beneficial to all concerned. It is only with understanding and knowledge that the benefits of any IP system can be seen by all. This would help grow even larger the pool of IP wealth that can be mined.
I would like to end by thanking our other partners the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA), Agency for Science, Technology And Research (A*STAR), Licensing Executives Society (LES), Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA), SPRING Singapore, European Patent Academy, IP Academy who have also worked hard to bring this programme to a wider audience. As only part of what we call the “IP Ecosystem”, IPOS depends on the continued support and contribution of the other key stakeholders – the IP professionals, IP industry, academia and government agencies.
To everyone gathered here today, deepest thanks from IPOS. And do have a good session ahead!

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