APAA is pleased to present an interesting and insightful array of topics and discussions in the Academic Sessions, and we hope that you will join us for a great learning and sharing experience! Please note the following:

  • Standing Committee Meetings are attended by committee members from each Recognised Group, and there will be reports on IP developments across the region and a specific topic for discussion during the meetings. All APAA Participants are welcome to join as part of the audience.
  • Workshops are open to all Members, Observers, and Accompanying Office Persons (“APAA Participants”). Please note that the number of attendees for all Academic Sessions is subject to room capacity.
  • Roundtables are interactive sessions with limited table seats at each session open to conference participants. To be assigned a table seat at your preferred session, please sign up through the “Roundtables” dropdown portal below. As table seats are limited each participant is encouraged to register for just 1 session. While seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, all participants are welcome to join and observe the roundtable sessions as standing participants, even without assigned seats.

 

Standing Committees

Note: Standing Committee meetings are attended by committee members from each Recognised Group, and there will be reports on IP developments across the region and a specific topic for discussion during the meetings. All APAA Participants are welcome to join as part of the audience.

Anti-Counterfeiting Anti-Counterfeiting

How would the laws in your jurisdiction deal or cope with infringing or counterfeit products created by or arising from the use of AI, including with regard to the issue of criminal intention or authorization/abetment?

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in diverse applications has come to the forefront in recent times and generated much interest. The most discussed use of AI is ChatGPT, which has pushed AI one step further into “taking over” various functions and decision-making processes. The world of intellectual property has not been spared the myriad issues that come with the use of AI, in particular, in the area of IP content generation and infringement.  The classic question or paradigm conundrum would be, “Where the AI program I used had caused IP-protected works or products to be reproduced or communicated without consent of the rights owner, would current IP laws consider this to be a case of IP infringement, even though such rights were not known to me, or the unauthorized usage or reproduction was not intended or specifically authorized or aided by me?”

 

* For Members of Standing Committee; Members, Accompanying Office Personnel and Observers as Audience.

 

Copyright Copyright

AI-generated images – Would Dali have had to worry about Dall-E?

The increased availability of generative AI systems capable of creating new images (such as Dall-E and Stable Diffusion) has meant not only the increased generation of literary or artistic works without direct human authorship but also the increased use of literary and artistic works in the training of AI systems. AI systems used to generate images are generally trained on data sets which are created by the collection of information and data from existing image libraries and images in the public domain, where those images may be from various sources and may have been created by various authors. This session will explore the extent to which existing copyright laws are able to deal with these images and the new ways in which they are being generated. Possible modifications or extensions to copyright law to deal with AI-generated images will also be considered.

 

* For Members of Standing Committee; Members, Accompanying Office Personnel and Observers as Audience.

 

Designs Designs

Design and Article: Exploring the Relationship and Legal Protection

An industrial design is a form of intellectual property that protects the aesthetic or ornamental features of an article. These features can be either three-dimensional, such as the shape of the article, or two-dimensional, such as patterns, images, lines, or colors. Because design rights are closely tied to the article to which the design is applied, determining the relationship between a design and an article is important in understanding the scope of the design’s legal protection.  For example, if a design right is granted for a car design, it may or may not extend to a similar design of a toy car. This is because the scope of the rights depends on how the article is defined in each jurisdiction. Similarly, if a design right is granted for a handbag, it may not necessarily apply to virtual products.  In this discussion, we will explore the relationship between design and article from multiple perspectives, including filing, examination, and enforcement.

 

* For Members of Standing Committee; Members, Accompanying Office Personnel and Observers as Audience.

 

Emerging IP Rights Emerging IP Rights

ChatGPT- New Age AI Models and Its Implications in Intellectual Property Rights

The current trend taking over the internet and world is the usage AI based models such as ChatGPT. Though still in its initial stages, the scope for such models is vast and not yet determined. It is essential to question and debate on current existing laws that will govern content used in and generated by such AI models and whether current laws are enough. 

  • Does usage of ChatGPT affect existing IP in your country?
  • What type of IPs can be generated in AI-based models like ChapGPT?
  • In a global scenario, are existing laws sufficient to tackle new-age inventions?

 

* For Members of Standing Committee; Members, Accompanying Office Personnel and Observers as Audience.

 

Patents Patents

Description Requirements

In most countries, the legal requirements and methodologies for prescribing detailed descriptions and patent claims are defined by law. While patent laws in most countries stipulate enablement and support requirements, the practical implementation of these requirements varies depending on the country and technical field. The drafting of specifications and the strategies for meeting these requirements differ widely from one jurisdiction to another.

 

We will review various specific cases to determine whether these cases meet or violate the enablement/support requirements in each country. Furthermore, we will discuss the country-specific approaches to meeting these requirements.

 

* For Members of Standing Committee; Members, Accompanying Office Personnel and Observers as Audience.

 

Trademarks Trademarks

Trademark Issues in the Metaverse

The Metaverse is a digital realm that allows users to connect and interact with each other through a wide range of activities, such as gaming, collaboration, shopping, and exploration. This immersive environment facilitates the exchange of virtual items like game machines, clothing, furniture, and shoes, while also offering distinct services not found in the physical world. Additionally, the utilization of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) enhances the authentication of virtual goods, providing an extra layer of security and uniqueness.

 

With the rapid expansion of the Metaverse, it is increasingly important for brand owners to protect their intellectual property not only in the physical world but also in this virtual domain. This calls for a well-defined legal strategy to ensure the safeguarding of their rights. However, it is essential to note that the laws and practices regarding trademark protection in relation to Metaverse-related matters can differ across countries. Therefore, it is valuable to analyse and compare how these issues are addressed in various jurisdictions.

 

* For Members of Standing Committee; Members, Accompanying Office Personnel and Observers as Audience.

 


Workshops

Note: Workshops are open to all Members, Observers, and Accompanying Office Persons (“APAA Participants”). Please note that the number of attendees for all Academic Sessions is subject to room capacity.

Workshop 1 Workshop 1

Legal Tech Trends and Their Impact on IP Law

Co-host

John Hocker, Founder, Cybernetic Law PLLC  

Dr. Stephen Wolke, Head of Intellectual Property & Services and CEO, thyssenkrupp Intellectual Property GmbH

Moderator

Lau Kok Keng, Head, Rajah & Tann Asia

 

* For All Participants Except Accompanying Family Persons.

 

Workshop 2 Workshop 2

FRAND Licensing Challenges

Disputes arising from the licensing of standard essential patents (SEPs) has been an increasingly important area of dispute resolution. SEP licensing on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms has been a contentious issue with numerous high-profile cases being pursued in national courts around the world, including China, Germany, India, the UK and the US. The high-profile nature of the disputes and the economic importance of effective SEP licensing has prompted extensive industry discussion as well as government interest and policy proposals, such as the recently released draft EU SEP Proposal.

 

Panel

Ignacio de Castro, Director – IP Disputes and External Relation Division, WIPO (Arbitration and Mediation Center)

Chung Nian Lam, Partner, Wong Partnership LLP; President, Asian Patent Attorney Association (Singapore Group)

Morag Macdonald, Partner, Bird & Bird

Naoki Yoshida, Managing partner, Finnegan (Tokyo)

 

Moderator 

Margarita Kato, Legal Officer – IP Disputes Section and Representative, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

 

 

* For All Participants Except Accompanying Family Persons.

 


Roundtables

Note: APAA Participants can now sign up to attend our roundtables. We have 10 roundtable sessions, covering a range of topics, which will be held on 4, 5 and 7 November 2023.

  • There are limited table seats at each session open to conference participants.

  • To be assigned a table seat at your preferred session, please follow the registration instructions on the Conference Hub.

  • Seats are allocated on a first-come first-served basis. As table seats are limited each participant is encouraged to register for just 1 session.

  • If you are assigned a seat, please attend the entire session. If you are assigned a seat but cannot attend, please let us know early so we can offer your seat to someone else.

  • Standing Participants Access: Even if you don’t have an assigned seat, you are welcome to observe the roundtable sessions. There will be some additional seating and standing spaces available at each session. Feel free to interact and move between roundtables to explore different topics.

Roundtable 1 Roundtable 1

How Do You Empower Yourself and the Women in Your Organisation?

Ben Yuu, Managing Partner, Nam & Nam

Debbie David, Managing Principal, DCC Advanz

 

* For All Participants Except Accompanying Family Persons.

Roundtable 2 Roundtable 2
How do you handle cross-border trademark infringement or counterfeit products online and off-line?

Adelaide Yu, Principal, Rouse HK 

Sumi Nadarajah, Partner, FRKelly

 

* For All Participants Except Accompanying Family Persons.

Roundtable 3 Roundtable 3

Artificial Intelligence and the Patentability of Computer-Implemented Inventions.

Adam Philipp, Founder and CEO, AEON Law  

Dr. Pawel Piotrowicz, Managing Partner, Venner Shipley LLP

 

* For All Participants Except Accompanying Family Persons.

 

Roundtable 4 Roundtable 4

Unified Patent Court: A Review of the UPC Litigation System in Europe.

Dr. Volker Metzler, Partner, Klunker IP

 

* For All Participants Except Accompanying Family Persons.

 

Roundtable 5 Roundtable 5

Trade Secrets: A Discussion on Cross-Border Misappropriation Cases.

Dr. Jeanne Wang, Partner, Tsar & Tsai Law Firm

Boo Seng Ong, Partner, Zico IP

 

* For All Participants Except Accompanying Family Persons.

 

Roundtable 6 Roundtable 6

Examining the Intersection of Competition Law and IP Law.  

Rico V. Domingo, Founder, R.V. Domingo & Associates 

 

* For All Participants Except Accompanying Family Persons.

 

Roundtable 7 Roundtable 7

Work-Life Balance: How Challenges in the Workplace are Perceived Across Different Countries? 

Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Partner – IP Practice, Vision & Associates 

Carlos Pires, Partner, Balder IP

 

* For All Participants Except Accompanying Family Persons. 

 

Roundtable 8 Roundtable 8

Trends in Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity (EDI): Impact on the profession and the way forward.

Lorna Patajo-Kapunan, Owner, Kapunan & Castillo Law Offices

Pei Lin Low, Partner, Allen & Gledhill

 

* For All Participants Except Accompanying Family Persons.

 

Roundtable 9 Roundtable 9
Approaches to drafting a patent specification that is suitable for multiple jurisdictions, such as Japan, Singapore, USA and Europe. 

Gwilym Roberts, Chair, Kilburn & Strode LLP

 
* For All Participants Except Accompanying Family Persons.
 
Roundtable 10 Roundtable 10

PCT Wishlist 

Matthew Bryan, Director, PCT Legal and User Relations Division, WIPO

 

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Legal and User Relations Division is responsible for many of the legal-related tasks associated with the PCT, as well as providing training, information and associated resources, and maintaining relations with the PCT user community.

 

* For All Participants Except Accompanying Family Persons.

 


Continuing Professional Development and Continuing Legal Education Points

APAA will make reasonable endeavours to assist Participants who wish to obtain Continuing Professional Development (CPD) or Continuing Legal Education (CLE) points by attending the Standing Committee Meetings and Workshop Sessions. However, APAA does not bear any responsibility in the application for such credit, and Participants must make their own enquiries and applications in this regard.

 

We strongly recommend that you consult relevant authorities in your jurisdiction regarding the necessary requirements and procedures to obtain such credit.