Born London, England on 12 April 1951.  Married (1975) to Anne Po Hoi Luk.  Two sons and one daughter. Joined the Hong Kong Government on 6 December 1978.  Finance Branch, Government Secretariat 18 December 1978 - 18 February 1979.  New Territories Administration 26 February 1979 - 21 April 1980.  Home Affairs Department 7 May 1980 – 31March 1982.  Finance Branch, Government Secretariat 1 April 1982 – 16 September 1985.  City & New Territories Administration 14 October 1985 - 6 April 1988.  Administrative Services & Information Branch/ Recreation & Culture Branch 6 April 1988 to 1 April 1990.  Finance Branch, Government Secretariat 1 August 1991 to 30 October 1994.  Director of Intellectual Property 31 October 1994 to present. Justice of the Peace on 21 April 1993.

The Director of Intellectual Property heads a government department of about 160 staff, responsible for maintaining the Hong Kong SAR’s Trademarks, Designs and Patents Registries.  The Department is also responsible for the promotion of Intellectual Property protection in the Hong Kong SAR, and for the preparation and maintenance of legislation to protect intellectual property in line with international standards and norms.

Stephen Selby has been invited frequently to speak at international symposia and universities in the People’s Republic of China. He has been elected as Chair of the APEC Intellectual Property Experts’ Group (IPEG) from 2008 – 2010.

Audrey Yap is a founding partner of the law firm Yu Sarn Audrey & Partners and a Registered Patent Agent in Singapore.  She currently heads the Intellectual Property Department of her firm, which is a boutique intellectual property practice offering legal and intellectual capital management as part of an integrated suite of IP solutions.

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) based in Geneva, appointed Audrey as their Regional Consultant ( IP ) in 2004 to head up a for ASEAN on the feasibility of establishing IP business development hubs to facilitate the use of IP as an economic tool for growth .Expert advice and support to the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Working Group on IP Cooperation (AWGIPC) was provided by Audrey during her stint as Regional Consultant.  Audrey was invited by the European Patent Office (EPO) to serve as an external expert under the EC-ASEAN IP Cooperation Programme also in 2004.

Audrey has been admitted to the Singapore Bar and the Malaysian Bar and is enrolled as a Solicitor of England and Wales. Audrey’s thesis for her Masters in law ( LL.M) focused on a specific area involving life sciences and the law.

Audrey is an Adjunct Fellow of the Intellectual Property Academy of Singapore. She served IPOS as an examiner for the Singapore Patent Agent Qualifying Examinations from 2002-2006 and continues to train & tutors trainee patent agents attempting the procedural paper. Audrey was named as one of the leading lawyers in the 2008 Legal Who’s Who in Singapore and was cited as one of the top 250 World’s Leading IP strategists in a survey conducted by the London based magazine & reported in www.iam-250.com.

Audrey served as the Treasurer of the Association of Singapore Patent Agents (ASPA) from 2007-2009 and is a member of APAA, AIPPI and LES Singapore. She served as the Chairperson of the Education and Training Committee and Executive Committee member of the Licensing Executives Society (Singapore Chapter of the Licensing Executives Society International) for five terms, from 1999 to 2004 and remains an exco member today. She is an accredited Trainer for the Fundamentals of Intellectual Asset Management course developed by the Licensing Executives Society, USA & Canada. She has spoken at various regional & international conferences.

Mr. Wim van der Eijk is since 1 January 2009 acting Vice-President Legal and International Affairs and , since 1 March 2009, Principal Director European and International Affairs at the EPO. He started his career at the EPO in 2005 as Principal Director International Legal Affairs & Patent Law. Before joining the EPO he was manager of the Patent Division and chief legal officer of the Netherlands Patent Office. He also worked in the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands in a variety of legal posts. Mr. van der Eijk was chairman of the Patent Law Committee of the European Patent Organisation and chairman of a working group that drafted the European Patent Litigation Agreement (EPLA). He assisted as a honorary judge the District Court of The Hague in dealing with patent cases.

Heinz Goddar, Prof., Dr., a German Patent Attorney and European Patent and Trademark Attorney, is partner of Boehmert & Boehmert and of Forrester & Boehmert, with his office at Munich. Technical background (as well as PhD degree) in physics, with a focus on polymer physics. He teaches Patent and Licensing Law as an Honorary Professor at the University of Bremen, Germany, as a Lecturer at the Centre d'Etudes Internationales de la Propriete Industrielle (CEIPI), Strasbourg, France, as well as at the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC), Munich, Germany, as a Visiting Professor at the University of Santa Clara, CA, U.S.A., the University of Washington, Seattle, WA, U.S.A., the National ChengChi University, Taipei, and the Tokai University, Tokyo, and as a Consultant Professor at the University of Huazhong, Wuhan, China, and as a member of the Professors Committee at the Institute for International Intellectual Property (IIPP) at Peking University (PKU), Beijing, China. Prof. Dr. Goddar is an Associate Judge at the Senate for Patent Attorneys Matters at the German Federal Court of Justice. He is a Senior Advisor to Investment in Germany GmbH, Berlin, with a specific responsibility for Life Sciences and Chemicals, and, also as a Director there, to the Global Institute of Intellectual Property (GIIP), Delhi. He is a Past President of LES International and of LES Germany. Contact and further information: goddar@boehmert.de, http://www.boehmert.de.

Mr. Koichi MINAMI has been the Deputy Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office since July 2008. He received a bachelor degree of engineering from the Nagoya Institute of Technology.

He joined the Japan Patent Office in 1977 and experienced many important posts. He was the Director of the Examination Planning for patent. He worked as the Planning Director for the Automation, Computer Affairs Division and proposed the “IP Cyber Plan” to WIPO with USPTO for computerization of all IP offices in the world. He was appointed as the Director of the Patent Information Promotion Policy Office. He worked as the Director of the Technology Research Division which is in charge of the matters concerning research on IPR, statistics on IPR and dissemination and enlightenment of knowledge and preparation of environments for education regarding IPR. He was engaged in the formulation of Intellectual Property Policy Outline of Japan in the position. He was appointed as the Director of the Administrative Affairs Division which is in charge of patent examination. He worked as the Director-General of the Second Patent Examination Department in which patent applications concerning machinery are examined.

Joff Wild is the editor of Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine, a publication that covers issues relating to the creation of intellectual property value for businesses around the world. He also writes the widely-read IAM daily blog (www.iam-blog.com). As a journalist, Joff has specialised in covering IP issues since 1992 and has written for a number of publications, including the Financial Times, the Times and the American Lawyer. He has also appeared BBC radio and television programmes talking about IP. Prior to IAM, Joff was editor of Managing Intellectual Property from 1994 to 1998 and of Patent World from 1992 to 1994. He is also editor-in-chief of the World Trademark Review.

Professor Liu is a law professor, the Founding Director of Graduate Institute of Technology Law, and a former Dean of International Affairs of the National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), Taiwan, where he began his professorship in 1991. Professor Liu earned his Engineering Ph.D. from the Texas A&M University of USA in 1984, after his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the National Taiwan University. He conducted engineering research in a national research institute for seven years and then pursued his Law Degree. He was a Visiting Fellow of the University of Oxford in 1995-1996. He founded the Graduate Institute of Technology Law at NCTU in 2000 and which was the first of its kind in Taiwan. Professor LIU served as the Chairman of the Institute for seven years.

Professor LIU is very active both in academia and industry. In addition to his legal and engineering expertise, he also taught Technology Management & Business Strategy in the Business School for 16 years. Not only his research was awarded distinguished papers in several occasions, he is also a pioneer and a leader in Intellectual Property (IP) education and service. He has successfully established a new paradigm of legal education and empirical research in Taiwan. Ever since 1994, he has trained more than 5000 IP professionals in Taiwan and who in turn contributed to the competitiveness of Taiwan’s industry. Moreover, he is the Editor-in-Chief of Technology Law Review, an international arbitrator, and an advisor to high -tech companies and public sector. Since 2006, he has been a Visiting Professor of the National University of Singapore in the Division of Engineering & Technology Management where he offers the modules of IP Management and Technology Intelligence and IP Strategy.

DEDAR SINGH GILL

Dedar Singh Gill is Managing Director and Head of Drew & Napier's Intellectual Property Department. He has close to 25 years of experience and has been recommended over the years as a leading lawyer in his field by Asia Pacific Legal 500, Practical Law Company’s Which Lawyer?, AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers, Global Counsel Handbook: Intellectual Property, Best Lawyers and Euromoney Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides. Who’s Who Legal 2008 similarly recommends him as a leading lawyer for trademarks. Dedar is also the President of the Singapore Group of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association.
     

DR. MIKLÓS BENDZSEL

Graduated in 1976 from the Faculty of  Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Budapest. He earned his second degree as an economist in 1983 and his PhD in  1984 at the Budapest University of Economics. He has  more than 25 years of experience in industrial property protection  holding different posts in the Hungarian Patent Office (HPO). Since 1997 he is president of the HPO and president of the Hungarian Design Council set up in 2002. Between 1999 and 2000 he acted as Chair of the General Assembly of the Hague Union, in 2003 he was Chair of the General Assembly of the Madrid Union and in 2002 he was Vice-Chair of the General Assembly of the PCT Union in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). He has been representative of the Hungarian Republic in the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation as observer between 1997 and 2003 and as member since 2003. Member of several social organizations and elected to different posts in a number of public administration and governmental bodies. Regular guest lecturer of graduate and post-graduate programs of Hungarian technical and economic higher education.  Co-author, editor or consultant editor of nine manuals and university textbooks. Author and co-author of around 100 studies and publications. Honours: 1996 – Jedlik Ányos Prize, 2002 Eötvös Loránd Prize, 2003 – Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic (civilian) Officer Cross, 2005 – Honorary Freeman of the University of West Hungary. Honorary Professor of the Moholy-Nagy Arts and Craft University.       

IVY PHUONG TRAN

Ms Ivy Phuong Tran was invited as a lecturer for several seminars of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) held in Vietnam and overseas about intellectual property rights’ applications into business and a discussion board member for several seminars in Vietnam about topics such as: branding/marketing strategies for consumer products, consumer behaviors.

Owen Malone has more than 30 years experience in working in intellectual property in both industry and government.

From 1989-95 Owen held the position of General Manager, Intellectual Property in Telstra Corporation, with overall responsibility for the company’s intellectual property policy, management and practices. He then joined Freehills as Executive Director, Freehills Technology Services Pty Ltd, a company established to provide intellectual property commercialisation consultancy services. In 1998, Owen moved to the Foster’s Group to take up his current position of Intellectual Property Director with responsibility for the Group’s intellectual property globally.

Owen has a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) from the University of Melbourne and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Monash University. He is also a graduate from the M.I.T. program on the Management of Research, Development and Technology-based Innovation.

Owen was a member of the Australian Government’s Advisory Council on Intellectual Property (ACIP) from 1996-2002 and the Chairman of ACIP from 1998-2002. He is currently a member of the Advisory Board for the Graduate Program in Intellectual Property Law at the University of Melbourne, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia (IPRIA) and a member of the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation’s Legislative Review Committee.
He has assisted both the Australian Government and WIPO with intellectual property training programs, and has delivered some 50 presentations in Australia and overseas over the past ten years.

In April 2003, Owen was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Australia Government for outstanding service to the advancement of Australian intellectual property.

Dr. Jorge Ávila is President of the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). He graduated in 1984 from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro with a degree in Civil Engineering. In 1994, he obtained his Master Degree in Business Administration, from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (COOPEAD/UFRJ). Dr. Ávila became a Ph. D in 2003, on the subject of Public Health, from University of the State of Rio de Janeiro. He joined the Brazilian Oil Company PETROBRAS in 1987 as a System Analyst. From 1995 to 1999 he worked as Studies and Business Development Director at the Industrial Development Company of the State of Rio de Janeiro. In 1999, he joined the Brazilian Innovation Finance Agency (FINEP), as Executive Director until march, 2003. In April, 2003, Dr. Ávila was back to PETROBRAS as a Business Consultant for institutional strategies and partnerships, where he stayed until September, 2004, when he was designated the Vice-President of INPI.

At Mars, Rhonda Steele works as a member of a small, dynamic team responsible for developing global strategies related to trademark, trade dress, copyright, domain name and design protection and implementing them throughout the Asia Pacific Region. These policies support all aspects of portfolio establishment, maintenance and enforcement aimed at building, strengthening and defending Mars' brand assets. Before joining Mars, Ms. Steele worked for Baker & McKenzie, Sydney implementing and executing Mars' protection strategies throughout Asia Pacific.

Prior to serving as President of the International Trademark Association (INTA) in 2008, Ms. Steele served as a president elect, vice president, on the Board of Directors and as Group Officer for the Policy, Development and Advocacy (PDA) and Education, Information and Services (EIS) Groups. She was also the Group Officer for INTA's Communications and Resources (CAR) Group prior to its merger into EIS. In 2007, she chaired the Planning Committee of the Board and a Task Force on India. Previously, she served on the 2000 Annual Meeting Project Team and on a Sub-Committee that examined Australia's 1995 Trademarks Act. In addition, she has been heavily involved in INTA's various activities and programs in China, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Asia Pacific Economic Co-Operation (APEC). Since joining INTA, Ms. Steele has spoken at numerous INTA and INTA -sponsored events, conferences and seminar

Janna is a specialist in the field of domain names management.  As IP Mirror’s co-founder and CEO, she has led the organization to become one of the top domain name registrar for over 70 countries in the world, with more than 35,000 clients and managing over 300 top brands to be protected as domain names.  These superbrands include Volkswagen, Google, Yahoo, Ciba, Tigerbalm, HSBC, Starhub and many more.

Janna has also brought the company to the next level to be the only Registrar in the world to be ISO9000 certified since 2005. To date she has expanded the company operations to have offices in countries including Germany, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Indonesia, Korea, Canada and Australia.

Under Janna’s leadership, IP Mirror has overseen world-wide legal defense of domain names of clients’ corporate brands and trade marks. IP Mirror has won several domain name disputes it filed for its corporate clients via the various dispute resolution policies worldwide.

Janna is an active member with the International Trademark Association (INTA), Asia Pacific Top Level Domain (APTLD) and Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC). She is also invited to participate as a member in the Chinese Domain Name Consortium (CNDC) organized by the China Network Information Centre (CNNIC).

Janna possessed a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration and Economics (Soka Univerisity, Japan) and a Master Degree in Environmental Management (University of Adelaide). Earlier to her international stint in Japan, Janna was assuming a key financial position with a Japanese multi-national company and has specially developed her leadership and corporate finance skills.

Helen Daniels is the Assistant Secretary, Copyright Law Branch, of the Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department.  Apart from a three year period working in privacy and freedom of information law, she has worked in copyright law policy since 1985. 

Ms Daniels has been involved with a number of major legislative reforms to the Australian Copyright Act 1968, including the digital agenda reforms, parallel importation, moral rights, Australia’s obligations under the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement and wide-ranging reforms passed by the Australian Parliament in December 2006. 

Ms Daniels has represented the Australian Government at various international meetings and is a former member of the Copyright Law Review Committee and the Public Lending Right Committee. 

In 2006 she participated in the US International Visitor and Leadership Program.  In 2007 Ms Daniels was awarded a Public Service Medal in recognition of her work in copyright reform.

Michael C. Ellis is the President and Managing Director of the Asia Pacific Region for the Motion Picture Association (MPA).  

Since 1999, Ellis has been charged with combating piracy in the digital age and has liaised closely with government bodies and law enforcement agencies worldwide while overseeing thousands of investigations, raids, and precedent setting legal actions. A specialist in joint industry-government cooperation, during his tenure he has worked tirelessly to gain improved market access for, and legislative protection of, the MPA Member Companies’ entertainment offerings.

Ellis joined the MPA from the litigation department of the international law firm Herbert Smith, and is a lawyer qualified in Hong Kong, England and Wales. Prior to this, he had a distinguished career in law enforcement that spanned two decades over which he served first in the British Police and then the Royal Hong Kong Police. There, he spent six years with the Commercial Crime Bureau focusing on trans-national crimes and extradition requests. He ultimately rose to the rank of Superintendent and had the honour of being the aide-de-camp to the last Governor of Hong Kong, Christopher Patten.

An authority on copyright law, organized crime and intellectual property rights, Ellis frequently speaks to raise awareness and understanding of these issues at international conferences, seminars and government sponsored events. In addition to his legal qualifications, he holds an MBA.
 
The MPA Member Companies include: Buena Vista International, Inc.; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Releasing International Corporation; Twentieth Century Fox International Corporation; Universal International Films, Inc.; and Warner Bros. Pictures International, a division of Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.

Lau Kok Keng has been in private practice in Singapore since 1990, and heads the iTec (intellectual property, Technology, entertainment & communications) group of Rajah & Tann, a top-tier law firm which is one of the largest in Singapore. He undertakes a broad range of intellectual property and technology related work, including advisory, transactional, litigation and enforcement work, with a focus on copyright issues. His clients include television broadcasters, cable operators, copyright licensing organisations, copyright licensees, major software and hardware manufacturers, computer gaming companies, providers of electronic commerce and internet services, banking institutions, movie production houses, book publishers and tertiary educational institutions.  He also heads the firm’s Sports Law group.

Some recent notable copyright briefs include pre-action discovery and litigation proceedings against BitTorrent anime downloaders, advising a radio broadcaster on legal issues arising from internet radio simulcasting, representing a book author in a claim for copyright infringement against another book author based on similarities in plots and central themes, and advising a performing arts centre and a mobile telecommunications operator on claims for the provision of music downloads and online video clips.

Kok Keng is recognised as a leading lawyer in his fields by the following publications: Asian Legal Business’s Legal Who’s Who (2003), Asia Pacific Legal 500 (2001/2002, 2003/2004, 2006/2007), AsiaLaw Profiles (2007), PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook Singapore (2006 to 2008) and Who’s Who Legal Singapore 2008.

Geoffrey Yu is Senior Specialist Advisor in the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Singapore Ministry of Law.  He is also Deputy Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Intellectual Property Academy of Singapore; Adjunct Senior Fellow of the Rajaratnam School of International Studies of the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore; Senior Fellow, the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Visiting Professor, People's University, Beijing, China; and Adjunct Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.

Prior to his current appointments in Singapore, he spent twenty-five years in the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), based in Geneva, dealing primarily with intellectual property policy and development issues.  His last position at WIPO was Deputy Director General, in charge of the development cooperation program for developing and transition countries.  He began his career at WIPO as Senior Program Officer for Asia and the Pacific, later occupying the posts of Senior Director-Advisor, Office of the Director General, Assistant Director General of Global Communications and Assistant Director General of the Copyright sector.

Before joining WIPO, he served in the Singapore Administrative Service in the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Services.  Later, he joined the Singapore Foreign Service, where he worked in Singapore, Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong.

In the course of his career in the Singapore Government and WIPO, he participated in many international meetings and negotiations and spoke in numerous national and international conferences as well as in academic institutions in many countries. 

Geoffrey Yu studied at the University of Singapore and at Brasenose College, Oxford University.

He is a national of Singapore.

Mr Ang is the Regional Director & Regional Counsel of CISAC for the Asia-Pacific region.  He also supervises the work of BIEM for the region. 

As CISAC’s representative since 1989, Mr Ang has been directly involved in the creation of copyright organisations in many Asia Pacific countries.  In this connection, he served as Advisor to and/or Director of COMPASS (Singapore) from 1989 till 1997; MACP (Malaysia) from 1989 to 1996; is currently an Advisor to KCI (Indonesia), FILSCAP (Philippines); serves as a member of the Complaints Committee of MUST (Chinese Taipei) since 1999; and is a Director of the MCT-Phonorights Joint Venture in Thailand as well as an independent director of CLASS Ltd.

Mr. Ang has undertaken numerous expert missions on behalf of WIPO to Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea, the Forum Island Countries (of the Pacific)

Dr Stanley Lai is Head of Intellectual Property & Technology. Stanley practises corporate and commercial litigation as well as intellectual property and information technology law, with a particular emphasis on e-commerce transactions, telecommunications regulatory compliance, intellectual property and technology litigation, licensing (including open-source licensing), franchising and on-line and off-line enforcement against piracy and counterfeiting. He regularly advises a large group of local and foreign clients on branding strategy, trade mark portfolio management and trade mark dilution and re-branding. Stanley's practice has also extended to advising bio-medical companies on compliance issues and he has delivered and written papers on the patenting of the life sciences. He also maintains an active onshore and offshore litigation practice and is a well-known specialist for dispute resolution and management in the fields of trade marks, patents and copyright.

Stanley is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Law Faculty of the National University of Singapore. He also sits on the panel of adjudicators for the resolution of domain name disputes under the Singapore Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy. He also serves as a member of the Board of Governors of the Intellectual Property Academy of Singapore. He is also a member of the Professional Affairs Committee (Singapore Academy of Law).

Stanley has published extensively on the topic of intellectual property and information technology law, as well as written articles for a number of journals and legal publications. He authored a book entitled The Copyright Protection of Computer Software in the United Kingdom (Hart Publishing, 2000). His loose-leaf work, the ‘Intellectual Property’ Volume of Singapore Precedents & Forms (LexisNexis, 2005) was published in February 2005. He also contributed to the Singapore section of the Encyclopedia of International Commercial Litigation (Kluwer Law International, 2009) and published an article entitled “Securitise your IP Rights in Asia - Trends and Future Expectations” in Managing IP (Euromoney Legal Media Group, 2009).

Stanley graduated from the University of Leicester with an LLB (Hons) degree in 1992. He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1993. He obtained an LLM from the University of Cambridge in 1994 and was called to the Singapore Bar in 1995. Stanley then commenced his PhD research at the University of Cambridge in the field of technology law and computer software copyright and completed his doctorate in three years. He is the first Singapore-born lawyer to have been conferred a PhD in Law from the University of Cambridge. Prior to joining Allen & Gledhill, he was a partner in the Intellectual Property & Technology department at another leading law firm in Singapore.

Royce is the Group Chairman of Ogilvy Hong Kong, a leading communications group that offers integrated marketing communications solutions.

Under his leadership, the agency was named Agency of the Year by both Campaign Brief Asia and The Marketing Magazine consistently in the past few years.  

Royce is also the Chairman of the HK4As and is committed to upgrade the industry practice. He is also very active in his personal time supporting voluntary work. He is serving on the advisory boards for numerous not-for-profit organizations including the HK Trade Development Council, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the HKSAR as well as the HK Academy for Performing Arts, etc.

Royce is also actively involved in the education field. He is a Visiting Associate Professor at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and has been lecturing Marketing at a post-graduate level for ten years. He is the Vice-Chairman of the Career Advisory Committee at the HKU and also serves as a committee member for the Education Bureau as well as the Continuing Education Fund.

In 2007, Royce was awarded the National Agency Head of The Year runner-up by Media in the Asia Pacific region and the “HK’s Top Ten CEO Award” organized by the HK Metro Radio and the Zonta Club.  Royce was honoured to receive the PolyU’s Outstanding Alumni Award this year.

Royce holds a Doctorate in Business Administration and a Master of Art in Marketing.  He is a frequent speaker at marketing conferences and also the host of a TV programme on branding

Joyce is managing partner of Joyce A. Tan & Partners, which she established in 1998 as a boutique corporate and commercial law firm with special focus on technology, communications, media and intellectual property matters. Her practice typically entails cross-border transactions, in which she represents parties from either side of the Singapore border, including government bodies and multinational corporations. Joyce has been involved in many pioneering deals in her field, often driven by the novelty of the technology deployed or the business model adopted, the changing tides in the view of intangible assets and the availability of the digital platform.
 
Joyce is recognised among the top for Regulatory Communications and Patents in The International Who’s Who Legal Singapore 2008, for Communications in Global Communications 2002, for Communications in PLC Global Counsel 3000 (2003/2004), for Telecommunications in PLC Cross-border Communications Handbook 2005, for Telecommunications in PLC Which Lawyer Year Book 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005, for Information Technology in Legal Who’s Who Singapore 2003/2004, for Information Technology (including e-commerce and telecommunications) in IFLR 1000 The Guide to the World’s Leading International Business Law Firms 2001, in The International Who’s Who of Regulatory Communications 2008, 2007, 2005 and 2003, in An International Who’s Who of Telecoms Lawyers 2001 and 1999, in The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2002, in International Who’s Who Professionals 2006/2007, 2005/2006 & 2003/2004, in AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers 2000-2008, in AsiaLaw IP Awards 2006 and 2005, in Euromoney Guide to The World’s Leading Information Technology Advisers 1999, in Euromoney Guide to The World’s Leading Technology, Media & Telecommunications Lawyers 2008, 2005, 2003 and 2002.

Ms. Donna Lee is the Founder and CEO of KinderGolf, an award winning world-class preschooler golf academy she started in 2000.

A golf teaching professional dedicated to growing the next generation of very good golfers, Ms. Lee passion for golf and instruction started in the early 90’s with lessons from several world-class golf teachers from Australia and the USA. She has also actively participated in numerous golf workshops focusing on the mental and nutritional aspects of the game.

In addition to having completed all the NEP modules with the United States Ladies Professional Golf Association (Teaching & Club Professionals Division) www.lpga.com, Ms. Lee is also an invited Advisory Board Member of the Spirit of Golf Foundation www.spiritofgolffoundation.org based in the USA. She is also a recipient of the coveted Spirit Award for outstanding contributions to advancing children golf learning and development.

Ms. Lee is a regular contributor to sports and parenting publications, helping to demystify preschooler golf and also to help parents learn how they can best support their children. She has also been interviewed and on several TV shows.

Currently based in Singapore with her family, Ms. Lee travels extensively throughout the region and to the USA in reaching out to more KinderGolfers.

“As the pioneer in preschooler golf instruction, KinderGolf remains committed in setting the benchmark in fun, quality and creative preschooler golf instruction, curriculum and technologies.” – says Ms. Donna Lee.

Ms. Lee graduated with Honours in Economics from the University of Malaysia.

Dr. Han Byung Joon is Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of STATS ChipPAC and has been instrumental in driving the company to become one of industry’s most sophisticated providers of advanced packaging and testing solutions since he joined the company in 1999. He is credited with the invention of many wafer-scale, 3D and chip scale semiconductor packaging technologies patented today. His inventions include the packaging product manufactured in the biggest volume today. He personally authored over 25 publications and over 80 US and international patents. Prior to joining STATS ChipPAC, he worked at Anam Semiconductor, Inc. and, prior to that, he held various engineering positions with IBM and AT&T Bell Labs. Dr. Han received his Doctorate in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University, New York. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Walter Lee is the Fellow and Senior Vice President at A*STAR Exploit Technologies.

He heads the Investment and Spin-off Division and the Planning, Innovation, Networks and Enterprise Division.  He is a member of the A*STAR Innovation and Enterprise Secretariat and the A*STAR Science, Technology and Enterprise Plan 2015 Working Group.

Walter is concurrently the Head of the Technology Transfer Network Secretariat, an alliance with 25 global institutional members.  He is on the Board of the Business Angel Network South East (BANSEA), the NTU Alumni Club and the Hewlett-Packard Alumni.

He is a business mentor at BANSEA and holds consulting, adjunct and guest lecturing positions at  NTU, SMU and NTU.  

Walter has more than 21 years of international industry experience and was VP and Head of the E-Commerce Center at Singapore Airlines, VP and Head of IDC Consulting for Asia Pacific, Board Member of the IDC Consulting Management Board, Country Manager for IBM Singapore Government and Education Industry Sectors and IBM AP South Manager for E-Business for Small and Medium Business sector.

Mr. Kevin Theseira is a Managing Counsel at Agilent Technologies. Together with a team of Attorneys and Agents at offices in Singapore and Japan, he is responsible for providing Intellectual Property legal support for Agilent’s Asia Pacific operations, as well as operations in Europe.

Kevin’s formative six years in a US MNC included positions as a Product Engineer, R&D Engineer and Account Manager, which leveraged his Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics from the University of Strathclyde. His endeavors included ensuring production yields for custom integrated circuits and wireless modules met required goals; development of two-way radio voice and data communications products; and selling radio communications systems.

Subsequently, after a period of mentoring and successfully securing an LL.B. from the University of London, he developed his career as a Patent Attorney over a period of 7 years. A few years with a Singapore IP firm then followed where his work encompassed drafting and prosecuting patent applications locally as well as in a variety of other jurisdictions; counseling on IP, and specifically, due diligence and patent strategies; and various transactional services, including licensing negotiations. Later he took up his position with Agilent Technologies where he has been for the past 6 years.

Ms. Carman has over 25 years of Canadian federal government experience in several departments, in areas as diverse as pre-market approval of pharmaceuticals at Health Canada, and economic policy assessment at the Privy Council Office. Since she joined Industry Canada in early 2003, Ms. Carman has served as Associate Assistant Deputy Minister of Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications, as Chief Information Officer, and as Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM), Science and Innovation Sector. Most recently she was ADM, Small Business and Marketplace Services.

In April 2007 Ms. Carman was appointed Commissioner of Patents, Registrar of Trade-marks and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), within Industry Canada. 

CIPO is an Agency of Industry Canada responsible for administering Canada's intellectual property (IP) systems, which comprise patents, trade-marks, copyrights, industrial designs and integrated circuit topographies.  As such CIPO is responsible for granting and registering IP rights, as well as disseminating information associated with these rights.

The economic development of Canada is enhanced by CIPO's promotion of invention, innovation and creativity at home and abroad through its provision of excellent IP services.

At a departmental level Ms. Carman is Champion for Employment Equity as well as the Champion for Canadian Women in Communication.

Soo Earn has more than 16 years of experience in the provision of business and financial advisory services. He has worked with corporations, private equity investors and lenders providing a range of transaction services on cross border transactions.  He has considerable professional experience in due diligence, valuation, market study, strategic value consulting, corporate governance advisory, franchising & licensing advisory and intellectual asset management advisory.

He is a frequent speaker on topics related to transaction services, valuation and intellectual property management. He has been involved in roundtable discussions and conducted seminars organised by many institutions including the World Intellectual Property Office, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, IP Academy, CFA Singapore, Institute of Certified Public Accountants, CPA Australia, Singapore Management University, National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.

Soo Earn is a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Financial Analyst. He holds a Bachelor of Accountancy and a Graduate Certificate in Intellectual Property Laws.  He is a member of CFA Institute, the Singapore Institute of Directors (“SID”) and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore (“ICPAS”).  He serves as a Board member of CFA Singapore, a member on the Young Entrepreneurs Network of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and a member on the Board of Advisors of AIESEC in Singapore, an international student organization.

Gordon V. Smith is chairman of AUS, Inc. and Distinguished Professor of Intellectual Property Management at Pierce Law, Concord NH. He has advised clients in valuation matters for nearly 50 years. His assignments have included appraisals of nearly every type of tangible and intangible property as well as consultations relative to royalty rates, economic life, and litigation damages relating to intellectual property. Clients have included major international corporations and law firms, as well as research and educational institutions, regulatory bodies, and national governments.

Mr. Smith, a graduate of Harvard University, has lectured on valuation subjects throughout the Americas, in Europe, and extensively in Asia. He has taught university-level courses at Singapore Management University and conducted seminars for the IP Academy (Singapore), Chinese and Korean government agencies, the U.S. Treasury Department, numerous private organizations and corporations, and has lectured in various countries for the World Intellectual Property Organization.

He is a member of the Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property and Board of Trustees of Pierce Law, whose intellectual property curriculum is nationally recognized.  Mr. Smith is a member of the International Trademark Association and the Licensing Executives Society.

His writings include many professional papers and articles that have appeared in publications worldwide. He has authored five books, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., titled: Corporate Valuation: A Business and Professional Guide; Trademark Valuation; Valuation of Intellectual Property and Intangible Assets (coauthor); Intellectual Property: Licensing and Joint Venture Profit Strategies (coauthor). His most recent work, published in April 2005, is Intellectual Property: Valuation, Exploitation, and Infringement Damages. He also has contributed to several other Wiley intellectual property and tax reference books.

James Nurton has worked for Managing Intellectual Property since 1996. He supervises a team of reporters and researchers in London, New York and Hong Kong and regularly contributes news stories, features and interviews to Managing IP and managingip.com. He is also responsible for commissioning articles and developing new titles, supplements and events.

James also edits the quarterly newsletter for MARQUES, the association of European brand owners, and contributes a monthly interview to Alicante News, the newsletter of OHIM, the European Community trade mark and design office. Since its launch in 2003, Managing IP has published the INTA Daily News, distributed during the INTA Annual Meeting, which he also edits. He edited the AIPPI Congress News, published at the AIPPI Congress in Boston in 2008.

James moderates Managing IP’s web seminars, covering a wide range of IP-related topics, and has chaired and spoken at various other roundtable discussions and seminars at events organized by Managing IP and other organisations such as the European Patent Office.

James has a BA in modern history from Oxford University and an MA from Birkbeck College, London. He trained as a journalist with Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, the parent company of Managing IP. He lives in London.

Prof. Dr. Alexander J. Wurzer is the director of the Institute for Intellectual Property Management at the Steinbeis University in Berlin. His research focus is based on the international technology transfer and li-censing, economics and management of technology and innovation, as well as questions related to value creation of IP.

Prof. Dr. Wurzer is Associate Professor at the Centre of Intellectual Property Studies in Europe, CEIPI at the University of Strasbourg and director of studies of the new program Master of Intellectual Property Law and Management. He is furthermore holding teaching positions for IP valuation at the University of Düssel-dorf and the University of Applied Science in Amberg-Weiden at the chair for „Patent Engineering“. Alexan-der Wurzer is lecturer for patent valuation at the European Patent Academy (EPA), the Banking Commerce College, the European Business School, the Academy for Finance Management as well as the Banking Academy in Frankfurt/Main.

Prof. Dr. Wurzer is a managing director of PATEV ® GmbH & Co. KG, corporation for rating and commer-cialization of property rights and technologies. His professional responsibility is the support of industrial companies, financial institutions, patent attorneys as well as insolvency administrator. He works in the field of technology/ IPR exploitation and licensing, valuation and evaluation of IP assets, portfolio management and patent information (including IP retrieval methodology).

Following his studies of physics, microbiology and molecular biology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, and parallel to his Ph.D. in physics, he has worked in the IP management since the mid-nineties, also for the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft.

Alexander Wurzer is author of about 120 publications in national and internationalen journals. Since 1999 the following books „Wettbewerbsvorteile durch Patentinformationen“ (1st and 2nd Edition.), „Handbuch der Patentrecherche“, „Patentmanagement“, „Bewertung technischer Schutzrechte“ and „Praxishandbuch In-ternationaler Know-how-Schutz“ of him have been published.

He presides the DIN committee on standardization of patent valuation. He is spokesman of the Munich Innovation Committee of the Munich Chamber of Commerce as well as Senator in the Bavarian Senate of Economic Affairs in the German Association for medium sized enterprizes. Alexander Wurzer is member in the committee on industrial property law of the University Düsseldorf and member in the committee for patent rating of the German Licensing Executives Society (LES). He is a member of the German Associa-tion for the Protection of Industrial Property and Copyright Law (GRUR), the Association of Experts for In-tellectual Property Rights (VPP), the Association European Policy for Intellectual Property (EPIP), the Schmalenbach-Organisation for business administration e.V., and of the Scientific Association for Inspec-tion and Controlling at the University in Augsburg and the Association of German Engineers (VDI)

DR. KAJIT SUKHUM

Dr. Kajit Sukhum, a Thai National, is the Assistant Director General for International Affairs at the Department of Intellectual Property responsible for all the foreign relation activities of the Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Commerce, the Royal Thai Government.

Born in 1959, he completed his Doctorate Degree in Agricultural Economics since 1988 and firstly became a lecturer at the Kasetsart University in Thailand. He transferred to the Ministry of Commerce in 1989 and joined the Department of Foreign Trade responsible for various Thai foreign policy implementations with special attention on the coordination for the United States Agricultural Trade Policy and the Thai Anti-dumping and Countervailing Measures matters.

Dr. Kajit was selected to be an attaché to the Minister of Commerce, Mr. Uthai Pimchaichon from 1993- 1995. His main task was to assist the Minister in both his English and to brief him on various issues of Ministry of Commerce when necessary. The work has provided an opportunity for Dr. Kajit to learn and understand the many facets of the Ministry of Commerce, as well as provided opportunity for him to work closely with various departments in the Ministry.

From 1995 to 1999, he was posted as a Commercial Counselor to the Permanent Mission of Thailand to the World Trade Organization in Geneva. His main responsibility at the time, include the negotiations on Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duty measures, Transparency on Government Procurement, Dispute Settlement Body, and Trade Facilitation.

While he was at the Permanent Mission of Thailand in Geneva, he was also elected to become the first Thai Chairman of the Anti-Dumping Committee for 1998 and a panelist in the Dispute Settlement case regarding Subsidies dispute between Brazil and Canada between 1999 – 2001.

Upon his return to Thailand in 1999, he was first posted to the Department of Trade Negotiation responsible for the same fields but was transferred in 2000 to become the Director of IP Promotion and Development Division, Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Commerce, responsible, at the time, for the information technology section, foreign affairs and domestic public awareness sections.

Today, under a new structure of the DIP, he is promoted to the Assistant Director General responsible for all the co-ordinations of all matters relating to foreign affairs, in particular with respect to the relationship between the Thai IP affairs and the EC. He has also been given the portfolio on all computer related matters in the Department. In addition, he will sometimes be given public awareness activities especially in relation to foreign partnership.

DR. IAN HEATH

Dr Ian Heath was Director General of IP Australia, the Australian Government agency responsible for granting rights in patents, trade marks, industrial designs and plant breeder’s rights, from 1999 to 2008.  As Director General he took a special interest in some key policy areas including the international approaches to the protection of traditional knowledge and the domestic development of approaches to patenting in sensitive areas such as gene technology and business methods.  He was an active participant in many international processes to ensure Australia influenced directions in intellectual property.

Dr Heath previously held senior positions in the Australian Government in the fields of health, aged care, childcare, and disability services. His responsibilities included service delivery and the management of technology services.  He has also worked at senior levels in the fields of immigration and indigenous affairs.

He is now the principal of the intellectual property and business consulting firm First Thoughts.  First Thoughts works with clients in a wide range of fields including information technology, film making and writing, and general intellectual property advice to government and start-ups.

Dr Heath is a Senior Fellow in the Melbourne University Law School, a member of the Licensing Executives Society of Australia and New Zealand, and an Associate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. His academic qualifications are in history, law and education.

HORACIO GUTIÉRREZ

Prior to his current position, Gutiérrez was based in Paris, France, where he was Microsoft’s associate general counsel for Europe, Middle East and Africa, overseeing all legal, regulatory and government affairs matters in that region.   

Before joining Microsoft in 1998, Gutiérrez was a member of the international practice group at the Miami office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, were he worked on international intellectual property  and competition law matters, commercial law and corporate finance legal matters.  Prior to that, he was a Vice President of Corporate Finance for a leading Latin American investment bank.

Gutiérrez is trained and has practiced law both in civil law and common law jurisdictions.  He holds an Master in Laws degree (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, which he attended as a Fulbright Scholar; a Juris Doctor degree (J.D.), summa cum laude, from the University Of Miami School Of Law; a Bachelor of Law degree (LL.B.) from Universidad Católica Andres Bello (Caracas, Venezuela); and a Specialization in Corporate and Commercial Law from the same institution. 

Gutiérrez is a member of the New York, Florida, American, International and Federal District (Venezuela) Bar Associations and is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.

JEFFREY CHAN WAH TECK

Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck, SC, is the Deputy Solicitor-General. He was awarded the President’s Scholarship to read law at the University of Singapore, graduating in 1973. He subsequently obtained his LL.M. from Harvard University. He joined the Singapore Legal Service in 1973 and has held a wide variety of appointments.  Prior to his present appointment, he headed the International Affairs Division, and before that, the Civil Division, of the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

ADAM LIBERMAN

Mr Liberman is General Counsel and General Manager Intellectual Property at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).   CSIRO is Australia’s and one of the world’s leading science, research and technology transfer Organisations.

Prior to joining CSIRO in August 2006, Mr Liberman was a partner in one of Australia’s leading commercial law firms, Freehills. 

Mr Liberman has over 30 years experience as a lawyer in the intellectual property, licensing, commercial and corporate arenas.  He has advised a wide spectrum of parties involved in the innovation process including research institutes, universities, start-ups, co-operative research centre participants, venture capitalists, investments banks, SMES, large Australian corporates and multi-national companies.

Mr Liberman has been on the board of the Licensing Executive Society International (LESI) since 2002 and is President of LESI.  LES is the world’s largest professional intellectual property society.  He was a member of the New South Wales Innovation Council between 2002 – 2005.

Mr Liberman was the foundation editor and author for one of Australia’s leading intellectual property publications entitled “Australian Industrial and Intellectual Property”, a two volume loose leaf service.    

Mr Liberman is General Editor and a co-author of "International Licensing and Technology Transfer: Practice and the Law", a looseleaf service published in 2008 by Kluwer International.

Mr Liberman is the co-author with Professor Timothy Devinney of the 2004 report entitled “The Management of Intellectual Property in Australian Organisations”.

Mr Liberman has spoken widely on intellectual property, its management, licensing and commercialisation at the request of organisations such as The Australian Graduate School of Management, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (at locations including Indonesia, India and Singapore), IP Australia and the Australian Business Foundation.  He has also written widely on these topics in publications such as the Australian Law Journal, the Intellectual Property Law Bulletin and Les Nouvelles.

Mr Liberman is a member of the Commonwealth Government’s Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property (ACIP)

Mr Liberman holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics (with merit) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales.  He is a member of the University of New South Wales Faculty of Business Alumni Leaders Network.

ANDREW T. SERAFINI

Andrew T. Serafini, Ph.D., is a partner in the Intellectual Property Group of Fenwick & West LLP, a law firm specializing in technology and life sciences. Dr. Serafini is resident in the Seattle office, and his practice focuses on strategic and comprehensive intellectual property counseling and management to biotechnology, biopharmaceutical and other life sciences clients, to help them obtain, protect and enforce their intellectual property rights, especially in the areas of immunology, molecular biology, molecular genetics, genomics,
proteomics and protein chemistry, pharmaceuticals, medical therapeutics, nanotechnology and medical diagnostics.

Dr. Serafini’s practice involves preparing and prosecuting U.S. and international patents; performing due diligence and freedom to operate analyses associated with mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and other private and public financings; drafting opinions on patentability, non-infringement and patent validity; product development counseling; contesting interferences, oppositions and arbitrations; and supporting technology litigation.

Dr. Serafini works closely with the venture capital community to help build life sciences start-up companies into industry market leaders. He also partners with public and private universities and research institutions to help safeguard, leverage and bring to market their technology assets and innovations as well as facilitate the technology transfer of these assets and innovations to foster further developments to benefit the public.

Prior to joining Fenwick & West, he was a partner in the Seattle office of Woodcock Washburn LLP.

Dr. Serafini received his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1998. Prior to law school, he earned a Ph.D. in Immunology from the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1994 and his B.S., with honors, in biochemistry from the Case Institute of Technology of Case Western Reserve University in 1986.

Dr. Serafini is admitted to practice in Washington and before the United States District Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, the United States District Court, W.D.Washington, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

DR. JUNG-SIK KOH

Dr. Jung-Sik Koh has served as Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) since his appointment in May 2008. Prior to his current position, he worked as Deputy Minister for the Energy and Resources Policy Office of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

Dr. Koh joined the Korean government in 1979 as a deputy director of the Heavy and Chemical Industry Planning Board, which was headed by the Chief Economic Advisor for the President.

Since 1980, Dr. Koh has worked for the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (currently the Ministry of Knowledge Economy). Throughout his career, Dr. Koh has been actively involved in Korea’s major energy and industrial policies.

Other senior positions formerly held by Dr. Koh include the following: Director General of the Electronics, Chemical and Textile Industries Bureau; Director General of the Korea Electricity Commission; Director General of the Energy Industry Bureau; and Director General of the Energy and Resources Policy Bureau.

Dr. Koh’s foreign services include posts as Regional Advisor on Energy for the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; and Commercial Counselor of the Korean Embassy in Australia.

Dr. Koh majored in chemical engineering at Seoul National University and earned a master’s degree from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. In 1988 he received a master’s degree in applied economics and a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea.

Mr. Tian Lipu is the Commissioner of the State Intellectual Office of the People’s Republic of China. He is also the Commissioner of the Patent Office under the SIPO  as well as the Director General of the Patent Re-Examination Board.
 
Mr. Tian Lipu started his career in the former Chinese Patent Office (now known as the SIPO) in 1979. Since then he took various administrative posts as Deputy Director General of the Patent Re-Examination Board, Deputy Director General of the Electrical Invention Examination Department, Deputy Director General and later Director General of the Automation Department of the Patent Office under the SIPO. From March 2001 through June 2005, he served as Deputy Commissioner of the SIPO. He assumed the post of Commissioner of the SIPO since June 2005.
 
Mr. Tian Lipu was sent to Germany as a visiting scholar to conduct research at the Max-Planck Institute for Foreign and International Patent, Copyright and Competition Law. He was also engaged in research programs in the European Patent Office, the German Patent Office and the German Patent Court on patent laws and system.
 
Mr. Tian is also active in academic teaching and research work. In addition to be the Honorary Dean of the Intellectual Property School of Tongji University, Tian also received appointments as an adjunct professor for the China Intellectual Property Training Center (CIPTC), Wuhan University and Huazhong Science and Technology University.
 
Tian Lipu received his Master’s degree of Science in 1982 from China Science and Technology University. Thanks to his eminent reputation in the field of intellectual property laws the Muenchen Technish Universitaet (Germany) conferred on him an Honorary Ph.D (in Economic Sociology) in 2008.
 
Tian Lipu was selected as the world’s 50 most influential people in the field of intellectual property by Managing Intellectual Property magazine (London, Britain) three times from 2006 through 2008.