Good morning
Deputy Secretary BG Yap
Members of the Board of IPOS and IP Academy
WIPO colleagues, distinguished speakers
Representatives of Asian PCT contracting parties
Ladies and gentlemen
1. On behalf of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, let me extend a very warm welcome to you to PCT Asia 2008 - the first ever gathering of Asian users of the Patent Cooperation Treaty system.
2. I believe the PCT system needs no introduction at this conference as its features and advantages are already very well documented. Suffice to say that it provides a useful alternative route for patent applicants filing an “international” application for their inventions. By filing in one PCT country, applicants can simultaneously seek patent protection for their inventions in over 130 PCT countries. Besides its convenience, the PCT system gives savvy users who use the system strategically a competitive edge.
3. Over the years, the PCT system has evolved into the cornerstone of the international patent system. According to WIPO’s statistics, it took 18 years from the entry into force of the PCT in 1978 to reach 250,000 applications. However, it took only 8 years since then for filings to hit reach the 1 million mark.
4. 2007 was a good year for the PCT, with a record number of over 156,000 international patent applications. According to WIPO, growth in IP filings from Asia has outpaced aggregate growth worldwide - a reflection of Asia’s dynamism in driving global growth. In fact, PCT filings in Asia accounted for more than a quarter of all applications filed worldwide in 2007. Of the top 10 user countries in the world, 3 are from Asia, namely Japan, Republic of Korea and China.
5. The Republic of Korea is now the 4th largest PCT user country worldwide, where its applications in 2007 saw an impressive 18% growth over the previous year. In the same period, filings in China grew at a phenomenal 38%. China is currently the 7th top filing country. Elsewhere in Asia, Malaysia and Singapore also registered encouraging double-digit filing growth rates in 2007. India too remained a major country of origin, with over 680 filings received last year.
6. The largest corporate users happen to be from Asia as well – Japan’s Matsushita. Other Asian companies have also made significant inroads into rankings of top corporate users. China’s Huawei Technologies moved up 9 places to become the 4th largest applicant with more than 1,300 applications last year. Similarly, Korea’s LG Electronics submitted over 700 applications in 2007, making it the 13th leading user worldwide and the 4th place in Asia. On this note, I am pleased that representatives from these companies are here with us to share with us their insights and experiences. Besides companies from the electronics sector, which make up a significant share of PCT filings, we are also pleased that Ranbaxy Inc. – a leading pharmaceutical company - is also here with us today.
7. For the R&D community, the PCT serves as an important link between innovation and invention with commercialization and exploitation. However, creators and inventors do not work alone. Patent agents and patent attorneys are critical partners in their endeavour to help bring their inventions to the market place. For this conference, we have thus invited several of our well-known patent lawyers to provide their perspectives on the PCT system.
8. For governments and IP offices, the PCT system can help strengthen international technological transfer, foster licensing research, encourage product development partnerships and aid access to global markets. Singapore acceded to the Patent Cooperation Treaty in 1995. As Singapore develops into a knowledge-intensive and research-based economy focusing on high valued-added sectors such as information technology, biomedical sciences and other knowledge-intensive industries, the PCT system plays an even more important role. Leading multinational corporations secure patent protection for their products and inventions in Singapore through the PCT system, and generate downstream benefits for our economy in their subsequent commercialization and exploitation. Last year, there are about 7,500 PCT applications entering national phase in Singapore out of approximately 10,000 patent applications received.
9. By the same token, the PCT system acts as a platform that helps our companies seek IP protection for their products abroad and carve niche markets in the global marketplace for themselves. Creative Technology offers one of the best examples of a Singapore-based company that has successfully marketed its products globally. In fact, since 2004, Creative Technology has been one of our top 10 locally-based patent applicants in Singapore. I am also pleased to inform you that Creative Technology will also lend insights on its experience as a corporate user at this conference.
10. Finally, let me also say that IPOS is very pleased to co-organize this landmark event with the World Intellectual Property Organization. Singapore and WIPO ties go back a long way. We have cooperated on many fronts over the years, not just in the area of patents, but also on a range of activities touching on all aspects of intellectual property. I am confident that our partnership with WIPO will continue to strengthen for a long time to come.
11. Ladies and gentlemen, let me once again welcome you to our conference. To our WIPO colleagues and foreign guests, let me warmly welcome you to Singapore and wish you a pleasant stay in our lovely city.