In the News

• Pages: 39-40

p. 39WIPO | MAGAZINE

IN THE NEWS

SiNGAPORe SeeS ROLe AS AN

ASiAN iP HUB

Singapore’s Minister of Law, Mr. K. Shanmugam, recently an-

nounced plans to develop Singa pore into an intellectual property

(IP) hub for Asia that will ser vice the potential growth in demand

for IP services in th e region.

The task of developing the IP Hub M aster Plan that will guide

this initiative falls to the IP Steering G roup chaired by Mr. Teo

Ming Kian, Chairman of Me diaCorp Pte Ltd. “Singapore is in a

strong position to be developed into an As ian IP hub, given its

legal and nancial s ervices infrastructure, and robust I P regime,”

Mr. Teo Ming Kian said. The grow th of our IP service in dustry

could further accelerate our transition to a knowledge-based,

innovation-driven economy, and create high-value job oppor-

tunities in Singapore. Companies and inventors in Singapore

and the region will have greater acce ss to a wider network of

global IP servic e providers which, in turn, could draw in more

service providers and encourage more inventions and innova-

tion.” The Steering Committee aims to nalize a nd submit its

recommendations to the governme nt in mid 2012.

PAK iSTAN LAUNCHeS SMeS

iNiTiATiVe

An initiative to support sm all and medium-sized enterpri ses

(SMEs) in their use of the IP system was launched i n April 2012

by the Intellectual Propert y Ofce of Pakistan (IPO -Pakistan)

and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority,

SMEDA, according to a report in The Baluchistan Times. The

initiative involves the establis hment in key centers around the

country of a number of IP “Facili tation Desks”, to provide com-

panies with the facilities and information required to protect their

IP. The Director General of IPO-Pakistan said that prom oting

greater use of IP among SMEs was a core obj ective of IPO-

Pakistan’s public outreach program. SMEDA’s CEO, Mr. Yousuf

Naseem Khokhar, noted that SMEs, which acc ounted for over

90 percent of the country’s business activity, play a vital role

in Pakistan’s economic development.