Mr Pierre Avédikian
Director of Publication
Principal Directorate for Patent Information
European Patent Office
Mr Pushpendra Rai
Director
World Intellectual Property Organization
Singapore Office
Distinguished speakers & colleagues
Ladies & gentlemen
Introduction
1 Good morning. I am very delighted to be here at the opening of the Europe-Asia Patent and Patent Information Conference – EAP2IC 2010.
2. In today's knowledge-driven globalised world, Intellectual Property (IP) in the form of patents plays a vital role in economic growth. Against this backdrop, EAP2IC provides an important platform where thought-leaders in the IP industry come together to discuss and exchange insights and trends on patent information and IP management. As host of EAP2IC, Singapore is committed to foster such dialogue as well as facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Maintaining Relevance
3. Over the years, EAP2IC has evolved and grown from strength to strength. Running its eighth year, since the inaugural conference in 2002, EAP2IC has taken great strides to promote greater industry awareness and interaction amongst the IP research and business communities.
4. As part of our continual efforts to innovate and provide greater value to participants, various improvements have been made to the conference. For instance, EAP2IC has evolved from a general forum to one that is anchored on a thematic focus. With this approach, participants will be able to benefit from greater focus and depth in the discussions. Apart from that, we have also restructured the format of this year's conference to better meet the needs of our participants. EAP2IC 2010 will comprise a half-day conference followed by 1.5 days of workshop sessions. This will provide the opportunity for participants to benefit from practical hands-on experience.
5. Led by international and local industry experts, the workshop sessions, aim to engender greater understanding about patent mapping applications in business strategies. I am pleased to note that the response to the patent mapping workshop was overwhelming. The workshop has been fully subscribed, and the registrations came from various countries, including Indonesia, Philippines and India. This highlights an increasing interest in EAP2IC, and we hope to open up more places for future workshops
Clean Technology and IP
6. The theme for EAP2IC 2010 is on clean technology. Despite the global economic downturn, clean technology innovations have continued to thrive. There are a growing number of patent filings on clean technologies in four main areas, namely, fuel cells, solar, wind, and hybrid/electric vehicles. In Singapore, we have identified the clean technology industry as a strategic area of growth, and we are happy to be able to attract leading industry players, such as Vestas Wind Systems, Renewable Energy Corporation (REC), and Det Norske Vertias (DNV) and Bosch, to set up bases here.
7. As the demand for clean technology continues to increase, so does the importance of protecting its IP. Protection of IP rights and development of an effective IP strategy will be essential to continued growth and competitiveness.
8. In this regard, patent documents can be an invaluable source of latest technological information to help companies to develop key IP strategies. As many of you are aware, the European Patent Office (EPO) has developed and launched a new classification scheme for patents in climate change technologies, while the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has also launched an online tool, the IPC Green Inventory, to make it easier for users to search for patent information relating to clean technology.
Concluding Remarks
9. In the fast-moving IP landscape, the collaboration and interaction between Europe and Asia must continue to grow. There is much for Asia to learn from Europe, and much for Europe to gain from a growing Asia. EAP2IC remains a significant milestone in the Asia-Europe cooperation in IP. The success of EAP2IC is testimony to the excellent longstanding relationship between IPOS, WIPO and the EPO, and I look forward to stepping up our close collaboration in the years ahead.
10. In closing, I would like to express my appreciation to Mr Pierre Avédikian and the EPO as well as Mr Pushpendra Rai and the WIPO for partnering us to bring EAP2IC into its eighth successful year. I would also like to thank our media partners – Intellectual Asset Management Magazine and Managing Intellectual Property – as well as our supporting organizations – Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME), Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and SPRING Singapore – for their various contributions to this important event.
11. I wish everyone a fruitful and productive time at EAP2IC 2010. Thank you very much.