Seventh Business of Intellectual Property Asia Forum Opens

　　The Business of Intellectual Property Asia (BIP Asia) Forum 2017, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and Hong Kong Design Centre, started its two-day run today (7-8 December) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Entitled “IP & Innovation: Propelling Change, Growth and Connectivity”, the BIP Asia Forum features more than 80 heavyweight speakers and is expected to attract over 2,500 participants. Carrie Lam, Chief Executive, HKSAR and He Hua, Deputy Commissioner, State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China, attended the opening ceremony.

　　“IP is one of the engines driving Asia’s remarkable economic growth and development in recent years and is expected to continue in the future.” said Margaret Fong, HKTDC Executive Director. “Hong Kong has emerged as Asia’s hub for IP, thanks to our world-class business environment, robust legal and IP arbitration systems, and our extensive network with the Chinese mainland and the rest of the world. Now in its seventh year, BIP Asia has grown into a major annual event promoting global IP trade.”

　　Plenary Session I: Evolving IP Policy in the Innovation EraThe highlights of the first day of the BIP Asia Forum were the two Plenary Sessions. Speakers at Plenary Session I, with the theme “Evolving IP Policy in the Innovation Era”, included Wang Binying, Deputy Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization; Molan Karim Tarigan, Chair, ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation; Takayuki Sumita, Secretary-General, Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, Cabinet Office of Japan; and Prof Habip Asan, President, Turkish Patent and Trademark Office. They spoke on the latest developments in IP policies and ways in which IP protection empowers innovation hubs.

　　Plenary Session II: Crafting a Comprehensive IP Strategy for the New World OrderUnder the theme of “Crafting a Comprehensive IP Strategy for the New World Order”, Plenary Session II featured Gustav Brismark, Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Ericsson AB, and Toshimoto Mitomo, Corporate Executive, Intellectual Property and Mid-to-Long-Term Business Development, Sony Corporation. As leaders of multinational corporations, the two speakers shared how they have stayed abreast of the increasingly complex IP landscape and effectively integrated IP into their global business strategy.

　　In addition, the BIP Asia Forum features a series of Concurrent Breakout Sessions covering five areas: IP of Business Practices, IP Legal Tips, Industry-specific IP, Quick Guide to IP Basics and IP Market Insights. The event also features such new topics as food and film adaptation.

　　December 8th’s Plenary Session III: The Revolution of Artificial IntelligencePlenary Session III, titled “Global Tech Summit - The Revolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI)”, will be held tomorrow (8 December), with world-renowned experts and Asian industry pioneers sharing their insights on the next wave of AI revolution. Speakers include Eric Chang, Senior Director, Technology Strategy and Communications, Microsoft Research Asia; Simon See, Director and Chief Solution Architect, NVIDIA AI Technology Center; Herbert Chia, Honorary Chairman, B4B Limited; Rick Zou, Executive Vice-President, National Eastern Tech-Transfer Center; Barry Chan, Partner, Financial Services Sector, IBM Global Business Services, IBM China/Hong Kong Ltd; Bruce Ren, Chief Strategy Officer, UBTECH Robotics Corp.; Aldrin Yim, CEO, Codex Genetics; and Chris Au Young, General Manager, Smart Airport, Airport Authority Hong Kong.

　　New strategic partnership for Asia IP ExchangeAs Asia’s largest international IP trading platform, Asia IP Exchange lists more than 27,000 tradable IP items including patents, copyrights, trademarks and designs for various industries, ranging from biotechnology medicine electronics and engineering to film and publishing. The HKTDC will sign a memorandum of understanding with National Eastern Tech-Transfer Center to forge a strategic partnership to promote IP information exchange and cooperation in Asia.

　　Exhibition features 90 exhibitors

　　The BIP Asia exhibition is being held alongside the main forum to provide more business opportunities for forum participants. It features more than 90 exhibitors, including the World Intellectual Property Organization, major international technology companies, leading local and overseas research and development (R&D) centres, universities and IP services providers. The exhibition provides one-stop on-site advisory services, ranging from knowledge transfer and commercialisation to the application, licensing and trading of IP such as patents, trademarks and copyrights, as well as relevant laws.

　　BIP Asia Forum is an event of the Innovation & IP Week. Three other HKTDC events are being held concurrently: the SmartBiz Expo (until 8 December), the Hong Kong International Franchising Show (until 8 December) and DesignInspire (until 9 December). Covering design, branding, technology, entrepreneurship, and IP management, the four events together provide a one-stop platform for SMEs to source the best business solutions.

Top: (From left) Habip Asan, President, Turkish Patent and Trademark Office; Molan Karim Tarigan, Chair, ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation; He Hua, Deputy Commissioner, State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China; Margaret Fong, Executive Director, Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC); Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR); Edward Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the HKSAR; Wang Binying, Deputy Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization; Eric Yim, Chairman, Hong Kong Design Centre; Takayuki Sumita, Secretary-General, Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, Cabinet Office of Japan; and Andrew Liao, Senior Counsel, a past member of the Executive Council, HKSAR attend today’s opening ceremony of the BIP Asia Forum

Held alongside the main forum, the BIP Asia exhibition features more than 90 exhibitors, providing forum participants with additional business opportunities. IPRdaily has the honor to attend as exhibitor this year.

Source: IPRdaily

Editor: Camila