Seminar on "IPR: Powering SMEs", 13-14 March 2006, Kuala Lumpur

With an aim to boost an intellectual property protection among SMEs in Malasia, ECAP II, the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) and the EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EUMCCI) jointly organised a seminar on “IPR: Powering SMEs” in Kuala Lumpur on 13-14 March 2006.

During the opening ceremony HE Dr Thierry Rommel, Ambassador-Head of the European Commission Delegation in Malaysia said; “Intellectual Property Rights stimulate creativity and innovation.  They bestow confidence on owners to transfer knowledge, technology and know-how.  The need for the development of a modern, well-functioning and fully enforced IPR protection system cannot be emphasised enough.”

An exhibition showcasing intellectual property related services and products was organised as part of the event.  Apart from organisers, two Malaysian legal firms (Raslan Loon and Wong Jin Nee), the Thai Department of Intellectual Property and the Small and Medium Industries Development Corporation (SMIDEC) were among the exhibitors.

The seminar drew some 150 participants from SMEs to learn about IPR from Malaysian, Asian and European experts.  The topics discussed during the seminar encompassed all fields of IPR, ie patent, trade mark, industrial design, copyright, collecting societies, geographical indications and covered various areas such as licensing, franchising and valuation of IP rights as well as IPR Enforcement. 

As part of the seminar programme, workshops on trade marks and patents were conducted by experts from Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM)(Trade marks and Designs) and the European Patent Office (EPO).  During the workshops, participants learnt about strategies of trade mark protection, the commercialisation of trade marks and the effective way to retrieve the new patent information available in the official website of the EPO www.espacenet.com.

Organisers and speakers at the opening ceremony. Seventh from left: Mr Haji Shuib Md. Yusop, Director General, Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO), Mr Franz Schrőder, Vice Chairman, EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EUMCCI), HE Mr Dato' Seri Talaat Haji Hussain, Secretary General, Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Malaysia and HE Dr Thierry Rommel, Ambassador-Head of Delegation, EC Delegation to Malaysia.

HE Mr Dato’ Seri Tallaat Hi Hussain, Secretary General, Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs at the EUMCCI booth.

All presentation materials are available for downloading:

• Opening Speech by HE Dr Thierry Rommel, Ambassador-Head of Delegation to Malaysia
• Introduction to IPRs: Overview and International Developments by Prof Michael Blakeney, Queen Mary IP Research Institute (QMIPRI), London, UK
• Trade Mark and Industrial Design Protection by Mr Oreste Montalto, Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM)(Trade Marks and Designs), Spain
• Patent Protection: From Invention to Innovation by Mr Nawawi Husin, General Manager, SIRIM
• Protection of Geographical Indications: A land of Opportunities by Mrs Pajchima Tanasanti, Director of Trademark and GI Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Commerce, Thailand
• Copyright Protection & Collecting Societies by Mr Ang Kwee Tiang, Regional Office (Asia Pacific), International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC)
• The Importance of Licensing, Franchising and Valuation of IP Rights by Prof Michael Blakeney
• The Malaysian Experience by Mr Ong Chui Koon, Head, IP Services Section, SIRIM
• Legal framework, Best Practices and Possible Strategies by
• Challenges of IPR Enforcement: The Example of the Music Industry by Mr Ramani Ramalingam, General Manager, Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM) & Public Performance Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PPM)
• Strategy of TM Protection: A Malaysian Perspective by Ms. Wong Jin Nee, Partner, Wong Jin Nee & Teo, IP Agent, Malaysia
• Effective Management of your Trade Mark Portfolio or Filing Strategies by Mr Oreste Montalto, OHIM
• Espacenet the Database of Ideas by Dr Nigel Clarke, European Patent Office (EPO)
• Press Release
• Press Clippings