Earlier this year (in March) a delegation of 35, seven participants from each of Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, took part in a "Seminar on Intellectual Property Rights for IP Enforcement Staff". This seminar, which is the third in the series, was jointly organised by the Japan Patent Office and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. The five-day seminar focused on talks and discussions by top IP administrators, judges, and law enforcers from these countries. The topics discussed ranged from the IPR enforcement scene in the Asian region, enforcement activities in Singapore to a study on the flow of counterfeit products.
Mr. Yuji Tsuruya, Director of the International Affairs Division of the Japan Patent Office, said "the seminar provides participants with an excellent opportunity to gain practical knowledge to support their daily enforcement activities in each country. Singapore is very active in fighting piracy and was a logical choice when it came to deciding where best to hold this seminar in."
Ms. Liew Woon Yin, Director-General of IPOS, added, "Piracy and the infringement of intellectual property rights is a problem that is faced by every country. While we have our own means and methods of dealing with the problem, we believe that by drawing on the strengths and success stories of each other, there is a lot more to be gained in terms of getting fresh insights and germinating new ideas and solutions. Singapore has always been uncompromising in its stand on piracy and we will continue to rigorously pursue the avenues of legislation for intellectual property."
The crackdown on piracy by the Singapore authorities, in association with IP agencies, resulted in the seizure of over 1.25 million infringing articles in over 1,800 raids in 2001. Nearly 1,500 arrests were made during the same period. The total market value of the goods seized is worth S$13.4 million.
This information has been prepared by the firm as a service to our clients. As it is a general guide we recommend that you seek professional advice before taking action. No liability can be accepted by the firm for any action taken as a result of this information.
