Welcomes Mr. Edwin Tong SC, Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Second Minister for Law as its Guest of Honor
New York, New York—April 20, 2023—The International Trademark Association (INTA) has announced the Opening Ceremony Guest of Honor and keynote speakers for its 2023 Annual Meeting Live+, which takes place in Singapore, May 16 to 20, followed by a virtual event from June 27 to 29. Mr. Edwin Tong SC, Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Second Minister for Law will participate in the Opening Ceremony as the Guest of Honor and will join INTA leadership in officially opening the 2023 Annual Meeting.
Presenting a range of both content and voice, the three keynote speakers—Jennifer Jones, President of Rotary International; Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); and Danny Marti, Head of Public Affairs and Global Policy at Tencent—are leaders in their respective industries and represent the business of innovation on a global scale.
Mr. Tong has been Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law since July 2020. At the Ministry of Law, he focuses on the development and promotion of Singapore’s legal, dispute resolution and intellectual property (IP) sector. He also handles wide-ranging aspects of law reform, including the civil and criminal justice system, corporate restructuring and insolvency, and legal aid. For his work in revamping and pushing through milestones in Singapore’s copyright and IP law, Mr. Tong was also recognized to be amongst the 50 most influential people in IP by Managing IP in 2021 and 2022. Before taking office, he was concurrently Head of the Restructuring and Corporate Insolvency Department and Co-Head of the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department at Allen & Gledhill LLP, one of the largest law practices in Singapore. Mr. Tong was widely acknowledged to be a leading lawyer of the Singapore Bar and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2015.
“We’re honored to have Minister Tong join us in opening what is to be an historic Annual Meeting in one of the most innovative countries globally,” said INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo. “His participation in our program will enhance the global understanding of Singapore’s growing role and importance to the IP ecosystem.”
Ms. Jones is the founder of Media Street Productions Inc., an award-winning 27-year-old media company in Windsor, Ontario. She made history in 2022 as the first woman to assume the role of president of Rotary International. Ms. Jones, who is often described as a leader in “experiential fundraising,” spearheading global campaigns and initiatives designed to improve quality of life around the world and has helped to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for polio eradication and has also raised funds for global COVID-19 relief projects. As president, Ms. Jones is focused on championing leaders from all backgrounds as part of her effort to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion within the global Rotary community.
“Both Rotary and the INTA are international organizations steeped in history, and I am so proud of Jomarie Fredericks—Rotary’s deputy general counsel who oversees Rotary’s intellectual property—as she serves as the INTA’s 2023 president,” said Ms. Jones. “I look forward to joining her on stage in Singapore. We’re eager to share insights into how Rotary is working to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, as well as learn from the INTA about how its members are working to achieve these goals in their community.”
Hailing from Singapore, Mr. Tang served as Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) from 2015 to 2020, driving the strategic transformation of IPOS in support of the city-state’s innovation-based economy. Since becoming Director General of WIPO in October 2020, Mr. Tang has focused on reinforcing the traditional strength areas of the Organization, including its international IP filing and registration services, and setting IP norms and standards, as well as charting a new vision for IP as a powerful catalyst for growth and economic development in all parts of the world.
“At a time when IP is becoming ever more important to more economies, enterprises and people in all regions of the world, I look forward to joining INTA and colleagues the world over to share WIPO’s perspective on what’s next for the global IP ecosystem,” said Mr. Tang. “As the world emerges from the pandemic, business, technological, and geopolitical changes seem to be accelerating. As the global IP community, we need to work together to give brand owners from anywhere in the world the confidence they need to turn challenges into opportunities.”
Mr. Marti has enjoyed a long career in both public and private service dedicated to IP and innovation policy. Having first joined INTA as a member in 2000, Mr. Marti’s IP career has included serving as President Obama’s Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at the White House, where he was responsible for coordinating the efforts of the U.S. Government national security, economic, and criminal agencies engaged in intellectual property enforcement. Today, Mr. Marti serves on INTA’s DEI Council and leads the global public affairs team at Tencent, a leading global technology and entertainment company recognized as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies (BCG, 2022). Tencent is the Platinum Plus sponsor of the 2023 Annual Meeting Live+.
“We at Tencent are both honored and excited to support this year’s Annual Meeting in Singapore. We appreciate and thank INTA for its continuing leadership on trademark and other IP policy matters and its commitment to education, advocacy, and international collaboration. This largest gathering of IP professionals in the world is a testament to the vibrancy of the INTA membership. Tencent—as a company, as a brand owner, as a content creator and so much more—shares the Association’s mission to support IP to foster consumer trust, promote economic opportunities, and incentivize innovation and investments that underpin our cultural and economic lives,” shared Mr. Marti.
“I am very much looking forward to hearing from our keynote speakers, who have such diverse backgrounds and rich experiences to draw on and share with our community,” said Mr. Sanz de Acedo. “I encourage all registrants to join us for the Opening Ceremony… There will be a few surprises and it will be one to remember!”
The Annual Meeting Opening Ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 17, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm. Beyond the Opening Ceremony, the educational program features speakers from all five continents representing academia, government, and major global brands, participating in two curated educational tracks: an IP and Innovation track and a Business track.
The IP and Innovation track covers 30+ sessions featuring the core IP topics registrants have come to expect from an Annual Meeting and the pertinent legal issues shaping the future of brands and the IP practice. It also features 10+ sessions and user meetings organized by and for government officials and sessions focused on professional development, including four Workshops. The 100+ speakers participating in the IP and Innovation track represent more than 25 jurisdictions and represent leading academic and government institutions, including IP offices and courts, and various global brands, such as Amazon, Ant Group; Bvlgari; Coca Cola, Coupang, Crocs; GSK; Novartis; Meta Platforms, Inc.; Playtika; Procter & Gamble; the Scotch Whisky Association, Standard Chartered Bank, and Tencent. On the government-led programming, speakers include close to 10 judges from India, Malaysia, the European Union, Singapore, South Korea, representatives from 10+ IP offices from across the globe, as well as WIPO Director General Daren Tang.
New this year, the Business Track will take place in the Innovation Marketplace (previously called the Exhibition Hall) and will comprise of 15 thoughtful 30-minute interview-style and fire-side chats between business experts, legal experts, and brand owners, catering not only to IP legal professionals but also business professionals from start-ups and scale-ups. Various panels will address the economics of brands, IP valuations as a financial tool, from ideas to assets, and the cooperation between public and private sectors in supporting the entrepreneurship world, among other topics. Diverse speakers from more than 14 jurisdictions will participate in the Business Track programming, including representatives from not only major global brands, but also from startups and small-to-medium-sized enterprises including Raycan Technology Co., Ltd, and Ostoepore International. Rena Lee, the Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, and Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office will deliver capsule keynote presentations. Additionally, registrants will also have the opportunity to interact with more than 150+ exhibitors featuring 70 new exhibitors within the Innovation Marketplace.
About the International Trademark Association
The International Trademark Association (INTA) is a global association of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and complementary intellectual property (IP) to foster consumer trust, economic growth, and innovation, and committed to building a better society through brands. Members include nearly 6,000 organizations, representing more than 33,500 individuals (trademark owners, professionals, and academics) from 181 countries, who benefit from the Association’s global trademark resources, policy development, education and training, and international network. Founded in 1878, INTA is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Beijing, Brussels, Santiago, Singapore, and the Washington, D.C., Metro Area, and representatives in Amman and New Delhi. For more information, visit inta.org.
