This year’s Business of Intellectual Property Asia (BIP Asia) Forum highlighted growing demand for IP services in Asia as well as Hong Kong’s strengths as a regional hub for IP-related business.
Co-organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Hong Kong Design Centre, the fifth edition of BIP Asia was held on 3 and 4 December at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).
Adopting the theme of “IP: Transforming Global Business”, the event featured more than 80 prominent speakers and over 2,400 IP professionals from 37 countries and regions, a 16 per cent increase compared to last year. There was also an 85 per cent increase in participants from Belt and Road countries and regions such as India, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates, demonstrating rising demand for IP services in the region.
IP opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative
China’s Belt and Road Initiative aims to promote economic growth through closer collaboration among the more than 60 countries and regions along the Belt and Road routes, which stretch from China to Europe via Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
“As the global usage of IP increases exponentially, more and more companies wish to transform their business and gain a competitive edge through intellectual property trading,” said HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Raymond Yip. “Under the Belt and Road Initiative, the demand for intellectual property and relevant high-end professional services in the Chinese mainland and regions along the routes will provide huge opportunities for Hong Kong companies.”
Speaking at BIP Asia, Shen Changyu, Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China, said: “China is now actively seeking to strengthen the protection and application for intellectual property to build an environment for creative endeavours. As an international city, Hong Kong has inherent advantages in trading, commerce, and shipping, and the potential to become Asia’s intellectual property trading platform. It is believed that Hong Kong will play an important role in the development of our country’s intellectual property in the future.”
Another speaker at BIP Asia, Francis Gurry, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), added, “It (BIP Asia) has become a major fixture on the global intellectual property calendar, reflecting the growing importance of intellectual property in Asia. All of these IP productions (in Asia) require hubs, because IP is across the industries and requires a wide range of services. Hong Kong is perfectly placed to play the role of one of the global hubs for IP, with its leading support services.”
Survey: Hong Kong is a strong IP trading platform
During the forum, an independent survey conducted by Nielsen and commissioned by the HKTDC, interviewed 515 participants about the outlook for the IP industry. Respondents generally believe that Hong Kong performs better than other major countries and cities in Asia in terms of its IP environment. On Hong Kong’s legal system and protection of intellectual property, 75 per cent of respondents believe that Hong Kong is good or extremely good. For IP advisory services, 68 per cent of respondents rated Hong Kong as good or extremely good. Meanwhile, 64 per cent of respondents believe that the diversity and quality of Hong Kong’s IP professional services are good or extremely good. Over half (52%) of the respondents believe that Hong Kong is a good, or extremely good IP financing platform. Most respondents rated Hong Kong higher than other major Asian countries and cities as an IP trading platform.
Praise for this year’s BIP Asia Forum
In the survey, 64 per cent of respondents said their main reason for joining BIP Asia was to explore opportunities for IP trading; 46 per cent said their primary focus was to build more business connections and explore business opportunities; 43 per cent said they took part in the forum to learn more about the development of IP trading in Asia, while 43 per cent came to the forum to learn more about Hong Kong’s advantages as a platform for IP trading in Asia. About 90 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the forum this year, with most of them showing interest in taking part again next year. In terms of prominence, 72 per cent of respondents regard BIP Asia as a leading event compared to similar events in Asia.
Plenary sessions tackle the Belt and Road
A number of plenary sessions were arranged to shed more light on the implications of the Belt and Road Initiative for IP-related business. The plenary entitled “A New Era of Cooperation – IP Opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative” featured speakers including Prof Liu Chuntian, Dean, the Renmin University of China (RUC) IP Academy Director, the RUC IP Teaching & Research Center, Dwi Anita Daruherdani, Secretary General, Indonesian IP Attorneys Association and Igor Drozdov, Senior Vice President & Chief Legal Counsel, Skolkovo Foundation. Attracting more than 500 IP professionals, the session focused on the impact of the Belt and Road on IP trading in Asian and global markets.
Meanwhile, more than 60 business leaders from Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Russia, the UAE, Vietnam, the Chinese mainland, and Hong Kong participated in a Roundtable Meeting to analyse business opportunities for the IP market under the Belt and Road Initiative.
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