Business of IP Asia Forum opens today

3 December 2020 – Addressing the importance of open innovation (an innovation management model that promotes collaboration with external parties) and collaboration in corporate development in times of change, the 10^th Business of IP Asia Forum (BIP Asia Forum) opened today and runs online until 4 December. Jointly organised by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Hong Kong Design Centre, the event features more than 60 international intellectual property (IP) experts and business leaders sharing on the latest industry trends. Officiating at this morning’s opening ceremony were Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the HKSAR; Shen Changyu, Commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA); and Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

In a welcome message, HKTDC Executive Director Margaret Fong highlighted the BIP Asia Forum as a platform for IP professionals and business leaders to discuss the latest industry developments and explore opportunities for business collaboration. “The theme for this year’s forum is: ‘Open Innovation: Driving Collaboration in Times of Change’, a topic that will no doubt be foremost on everyone’s mind as the world economy is buffeted by the combined winds of the global pandemic and geopolitical tensions,” she said. “The online format helps us take the event beyond the limitations of a physical location to connect global participants to a world of industry insights and expertise.”

Open innovation – helping to drive collaboration in challenging times

Collaboration is essential during these challenging times, with many businesses having to make significant changes in order to survive. Addressing this trend, this morning’s keynote session featured a discussion by industry leaders on how open innovation can help businesses leverage external resources, solve complex problems and generate greater business value. Yancey Strickler, Co-founder and Former CEO of Kickstarter, shared his experience in creating Kickstarter, a global crowdfunding platform that has brought innovators together and created value through innovation and partnerships. The session also welcomed Arata Oono, founder of Borderless, and Emile Chan, CMO and Co-founder of Origami Group, as panellists.

Today’s programme concluded with the much-anticipated plenary session, where IP leaders from multinational corporations discussed models for collaboration between enterprises. Given that open innovation creates new pathways for value creation and unleashes the full potential of IP while establishing new ways of collaboration between nations, industries or individuals, it has become a vital business strategy amid increasingly fierce global competition. Speakers at the plenary, which ran on the theme “Creating IP Value through Collaboration”, included Christina Petersson, Chief Intellectual Property Officer of Ericsson; Beat Weibel, Chief IP Counsel and Group Senior Vice President of Siemens AG; and John Mulgrew, Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Intellectual Property Officer of Lenovo.

A breakout session held today focused on the latest IP development opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, whose development as a major IP trading hub is attracting considerable attention. An innovation and technology engine, the Greater Bay Area has quickly become a breeding ground for innovative ideas and inventions, with much IP trading involved. Co-organised with the Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation (Guangdong Intellectual Property Administration) and the Guangzhou Development District Intellectual Property Association, the session featured speakers from WeRide, Guangzhou IP Exchange, Macau University of Science and Technology, Exponent Science and Technology Consulting, and Vobile Group Limited.

IPHatch Hong Kong welcomes innovative start-ups

Details of the eagerly awaited open-innovation competition, IPHatch Hong Kong, were announced today. At a session with the theme “Supercharging Innovation for Impact”, renowned IP experts, representatives of venture capital funds and past IPHatch winners shared on ways to enhance value and realise growth potential. Speakers included Jason Loh, founder and CEO of Piece Future; Jari Vaario, Head of Asia Patent Transactions and External Alliances of Nokia Technologies; Yoshinori Nakagawa, Chief Intellectual Property Specialist of Panasonic Corporation; and Tony Chen, Business Development Director of Hong Kong’s X-Tech Startup Platform.

The 2020 competition will focus on digitalisation, smart city development and the Internet of Things, with participating start-ups encouraged to unleash their creativity and expand existing patented technologies to new business areas through swift IP commercialisation.

Global Tech Summit opens tomorrow to examine technological disruptions

The protection of IP is essential in promoting creativity and technological innovation. This subject will be addressed in tomorrow morning’s Global Tech Summit, which will be split into three sessions, each featuring renowned speakers. In the first session, Li Zexiang, Professor of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, will speak on disruption as the “new normal”. In the second session, Aldous Ng, CEO of CU Coding Limited, will be joined by Yongping Zheng, Co-founder and Technical Advisor of Telefield Medical Imaging Limited, and Dennis Cheung, Associate Director of Teksbotics (Asia) Limited, to speak about the new wave of talent in Hong Kong’s technology sector.

In the third and final session of the summit, Alexander Ng, Vice President of Tencent Healthcare, and Gary Chan, Professor of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, will explore technological disruptions in the healthcare industry amid the global pandemic. While the pandemic has created untold disruption in its own right, it has also been the catalyst for a new wave of revolutionary technologies. The pioneers taking part in the session will discuss the emerging technologies that are likely to reshape economies and redefine industries.

Several concurrent breakout sessions will be held on the second day of the forum, including the IP Market and Industry Insights session co-organised with China Daily. Expert speakers including Kevin Lee, founder and CEO of Redspots Creative (HK) Company Limited, Catherine Liu, Research Director of EntGroup Solution Centre, Beijing EntGroup Century Data Technology Co, Ltd., Yang Xiaoxuan, Vice President of iQIYI, and Sze Yan Ngai, Founder and Chairman of Gameone Holdings Limited, will examine IP strategies in the age of “digital ambassadors”, where virtual idols are gaining momentum and offering tremendous business opportunities – with a concurrent rise in related IP issues.

IP disputes can be hard to resolve, often involving complex technical issues and multiple jurisdictions – and the pandemic outbreak has created the need for more innovative approaches to dispute resolution. Co-organised with the Department of Justice of the HKSAR, tomorrow afternoon’s session on IP legal tips, titled “Hong Kong’s Unique Role in IP Creation, Protection, Enforcement and Dispute Resolution in the GBA and Beyond”, will explore how Hong Kong can capitalise on its geographical advantage and professional expertise to create a solid foundation for IP businesses to pursue opportunities in the Greater Bay Area and beyond. It will also examine innovative approaches to dispute resolution such as online dispute resolution. Speakers including Charmaine Koo, Partner of Messrs. Deacons and Chairman of Licensing Executive Society China, Hong Kong Sub-Chapter; Winnie Tam, Chairman of the Communication Authority and Committee on Intellectual Property, Hong Kong Bar Association; and Thomas So, Chair of eBRAM Centre, will offer insights into intellectual property creation, protection and arbitration.

As the world looks to recover from the global pandemic, facilitating collaboration among stakeholders in the technology ecosystem will become more important than ever. The essential role of collaboration in technological advancement and the exceptional value of partnerships will be explored at a session titled “The Invincible Bond of Technology and Client Collaboration”, co-organised with the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI). Speakers including Victor Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Bridge AI; Andy Ho, Managing Director of Nexplore HK; Albert Lo, Chief Architect of Nova Credit Limited; and Daniel Au, Chief Executive Officer of Tectonic Technology Innovation Company Limited, will share insights on how collaboration has helped them solve industry pain points and create new business opportunities.

InspoTalk roundtable offers interactive IP-related discussions

The BIP Asia Forum was preceded by a two-day IP Manager Training Programme, jointly organised by the Intellectual Property Department of the HKSAR and the HKTDC. The programme introduced the fundamentals of IP, enabling participants to better understand the rights of IP owners and users and enhancing their ability to manage and protect IP rights within their enterprise. Complementing the forum’s main programme, a new session called InspoTalk was launched yesterday, at which industry experts held in-depth interactive discussions with participants on various IP-related topics, such as the challenges and opportunities resulting from the pandemic and IP strategies for working with social media influencers.

Website

Business of IP Asia Forum: http://bipasiaforum.com/

Media enquiries

Please contact the HKTDC’s Communication & Public Affairs Department:

Clayton Lauw                       Tel: (852) 2584 4472                                   Email: clayton.y.lauw@hktdc.org

Cathy Lee                              Tel: (852) 2584 4393                                   Email: cathy.wk.lee@hktdc.org

About HKTDC
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade publications, research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedIn