WIPO sets up S’pore office

THE World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) will open its Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Singapore in 2010.

An agreement to pave the way for the establishment of the centre was signed by Dr Francis Gurry, WIPO’s director general, and Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs on Tuesday morning.

To be located in Maxwell Chambers, Singapore’s international dispute resolution centre will focus on promoting alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services in the Asia Pacific Region.

As the only WIPO Center in the region, it will provide training and advice on procedures such as arbitration, mediation and expert determination, and will administer and facilitate hearings in cases conducted under the WIPO Rules in Singapore.

The centre’s Singapore office also aims to cater to regional needs and to make WIPO’s experience and expertise in intellectual property ADR more accessible in the Asia Pacific Region.

Said Mr Shanmugam: ‘The expansion of WIPO’s presence here bears testimony to Singapore’s commitment to the protection of intellectual assets and our support of WIPO’s efforts to develop the international IP regime.

‘WIPO’s decision to set up its WIPO Center office… augments our efforts to develop Singapore as a venue of choice for international arbitration and mediation in Asia.’

Dr Gurry thanked the Singapore government for supporting this initiative.

‘ADR is an important cost-saving alternative to traditional litigation and a means of finding constructive and workable solutions to the often complex, cross-border intellectual property-related disputes that can arise in a wide range of fields,’ he said.

‘We are pleased to extend our expertise to the service of parties in Singapore and the Asia Pacific Region.’

WIPO and Singapore are further cooperating to establish an international WIPO Mediation and Arbitration Scheme for Film Related Disputes (WIPO Film ADR Scheme), which will be developed by the WIPO Center and Singapore’s Media Development Authority.

This will be kicked off by the signing of a memorandum of understanding, by Dr Gurry and Rear Admiral (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Singapore’s Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts. The WIPO Film ADR Scheme is expected to launch in Singapore in late 2009.

Source : Straits Time – 28 July 2009