Mark Cheng
IP Academy
mark_cheng@ipacademy.com.sg

A: 51 Bras Basah Road
#01-01 Manulife Centre
Singapore 189554
(Please enter via IP 101)
W: www.ipacademy.com.sg

Introduction

Held over two days at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, the 5th Global Forum on IP (GFIP) 2015 is the anchor event, and key highlight of the IP Week @ SG initiative. Since its inception in 2006, this biennial event has established itself as Asia’s preferred multi-disciplinary IP event, delivering highly focussed thought leadership discussions on the latest IP trends and issues, as well as practical strategies and insights on navigating the everevolving IP landscape.

Theme

In conjunction with Singapore’s golden jubilee, this year’s theme – Simple Past, Present Continuous… Future Perfect? – aims to draw an arc to connect the dots between the ages. Join us as we embark on a comprehensive examination of the historical roots of IP, the current state of IP today, and its uncertain future.

The conference’s eponymous opening plenary session will examine the above theme, with our panellists presenting their views on the evolving architecture of the global IP system, as well as the influence of major national IP systems and the tension between the territoriality of IP Rights and the global scope of IP exploitation. Our other key plenary sessions will also tackle hard-hitting issues such as: ASEAN and the challenges of economic integration; IP strategies and risk management in ASEAN; IP interoperability between ASEAN and other regions; IP development and trends in China; current issues in the various types of IP; multinational IP litigation strategies; and a special judges’ plenary session featuring views from notable international jurists on the evolving role of the courts.

Besides the plethora of programmes available for participants, GFIP 2015 will also allow participants the advantage of tailoring their conference experience to suit their particular learning needs. GFIP 2015 participants can choose from two tracks – the Legal Track, or the IP Strategy Track –to customise their conference journey. Our Legal Track offers participants cutting-edge Thought Leadership discussions relating to the latest developments in IP law, macro-issues on IP law and economics, as well as discussions on the future growth path of IP; our IP Strategy Track will feature business-oriented discussions on how organisations can better develop, manage, protect and leverage on their IP – participants will walk away with a wealth of practical IP strategies and tips that they can implement into their own organisations.

Notable Speakers

For this year’s event, the GFIP 2015 team has spared no effort or expense to bring in some of the biggest movers and shakers in the IP scene, both locally and abroad.

In order to engender the best discussions, we’ve carefully curated a list of speakers that hail from a broad and varied range of disciplines. This year’s distinguished list of speakers include: members of the judiciary (Justice Colin Birss, Justice George Wei, and Justice Leo Kong); directors of international and national IP policy, and IP associations (WIPO, SIPO, JPO, Heads of ASEAN IP offices, INTA); IP practitioners and experts (Dr Stanley Lai SC, Tan Tee Jim SC, James Mellor QC, Helen Cheng, Gary Ma, Nick Redfearn); IP directors of major global businesses (Xiaomi, ZTE, Qihoo 360, Canon, Expedia, Zynga, MediaTek), as well as renown IP academics and thought leaders (Professor Liu Chuntian, Professor David Llewelyn, Professor Susanna Leong, Professor Ng-Loy Wee Loon, Professor Tan Cheng Han SC, Professor Andrew Christie, Dr Neil Wilkof, Dr Eleonora Rosati).

Networking Opportunities

Aside from the slew of exciting panel sessions and lectures, no conference experience would be complete without an opportunity for participants to let their hair down and mingle. With that in mind, the GFIP 2015 team have put together the very first GFIP 2015 Dinner Extravaganza. Featuring a host of IP’s biggest speakers, VIPs, CEOs, Chief Legal Counsels and delegates in attendance, the GFIP Networking Dinner Extravaganza is the perfect opportunity for attendees to make new contacts, entertain key clients, and enjoy a night of lively good fun.

If that isn’t enough, the GFIP 2015 team has also developed another first in its Online Networking Platform. By using the platform, participants can now take their interactions online to directly contact, message, and set up meetings with other delegates. As part of the larger initiative, IP Week @ SG 2015 will also feature the very first IP Fiesta, a celebration of IP in Singapore and beyond. Visitors will enjoy ample opportunities to interact and network with exhibitors, IP professionals and industry experts, from around the globe in a convivial setting. There will be a special ASEAN segment as well as an “SG50” segment in celebration of Singapore’s 50th birthday.

Why You Should Attend GFIP 2015

Since its inception, the GFIP event has grown from strength-to-strength. This year’s conference promises to be even bigger and better, with an expected conference attendance of close to 600 global IP and industry leaders congregating to exchange views and engage in debate on critical and cutting-edge IP issues. We expect close to 1,500 attendees for the whole IP Week @ SG event. We hope that you will join us for this critical and enriching pitstop in your IP journey.