[Guest post] Conference Report: Fifth IP & Innovation Researchers of Asia Conference

It is that time of the year once again - Katfriends Irene Calboli and Jacques de Werra provide IPKat readers with a summary of the Fifth IP & Innovation Researchers of Asia (IPIRA) Conference. The previous four IPIRA conference reports can be viewed here, here, here and here.

Below is what Irene and Jacques write:

Conference Report:

Fifth IP & Innovation Researchers of Asia Conference

by Irene Calboli and Jacques de Werra

Dear IPKat friends, IPIRA finally resumed in person this past week!

On March 1-3, 2023, IP & Innovation Research of Asia (IPIRA) Network was proud to host the Fifth IPIRA Conference in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Academy, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and its now regular academic partners: the Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws, International Islamic University Malaysia; Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia; Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University; Texas A&M University School of Law; and the Faculty of Law, University of Geneva. The Conference was additionally supported by a group of distinguished academic institutions in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

The Fifth IPIRA Conference was hosted in person by Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, in Singapore and also had an online and hybrid component.

210 scholars from Asia and other continents—110 in person and 110 online—presented their works-in-progress and received useful feedback to later publish these works in academic and other journals. Presenters had the opportunity to discuss many exciting themes ranging from IP and investments to Traditional Knowledge, patents, biotechnology and medicines, copyright and culture, IP and competition, plant varieties and compulsory licensing and IP and Covid-19 medicines.

The Fifth IPIRA Conference was opened with a keynote presentation delivered by Daren Tang, Director General, World Intellectual Property Office, which focused on the topic “The Role of WIPO in Building IP Ecosystems That Promote Innovation and Creativity Everywhere”, and a keynote presentation delivered by Annabel Gonzalez, Deputy Director General, World Trade Organization, titled “Strengthening the Links between Public Health, Trade and IP: Applying the Lessons from the Pandemic”.

The Conference also featured two plenary sessions, one focusing on “Intellectual Property as Engine for Innovation” and the other focusing on “The Role of Intellectual Property for A Green and Sustainable Future”. Marco Aleman, Assistant Director General of the IP and Innovation Ecosystems Sector at WIPO participated in first plenary, Mr. Edward Kwakwa, Assistant Director General of the Global Challenges and Partnerships Sector at WIPO, and Mr. Anthony Taubman, Director of the Intellectual Property Division at WTO participated in the second plenary.

The full program of the Fifth IPIRA Conference can be found here and the abstracts here.

The IPIRA Network very much looks forward to hosting everyone again, at the Sixth IPIRA Conference in 2024! Information and venue will follow in late summer.






Photo Credit: Nanyang Technological University