Welcome Remarks by Mr Edwin Tong SC, Minister For Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs, at the ADR TIPS (Appropriate Dispute Resolution for Technology and Intellectual Property in Singapore) event

Mr Daren Tang

Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization

Honourable Minister Mr Norbert Mao,

Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Uganda

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

1.                 Good afternoon to everyone.

2.                 I am so glad to spend this afternoon with you, to open the inaugural Appropriate Dispute Resolution for Technology and Intellectual Property in Singapore, or “ADR TIPS”, event.

3.                 This is the first time that the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) is collaborating with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, on an event focussing on IP and technology dispute resolution, during the Global Forum on IP.

4.                 Those of us who have attended the Global Forum on IP, or IP Week @ SG, over the years, will know that this is now one of the most important events and dates in the calendar. Certainly the international IP calendar, where practitioners and businesses alike, as well as thought leaders and people who are interested in every aspect of the development and practice of intellectual property, come together to discuss trends, think about developments and exchange know-how and best practices in IP.

5.                 This year, we are casting a deliberate spotlight on IP and technology dispute resolution, because we recognise the growing importance of being able to resolve these disputes in a time- and cost-effective manner. This has significant implications on how businesses manage risks, collaborate with partners, and maximise the full value of their IP portfolios.

6.                 Over the next few minutes, in my brief remarks, I will share some observations on the international IP landscape, and what I believe are their implications on businesses.

Technology and IP at the Forefront

7.                 First, I think we will agree, that technology and IP are increasingly driving economic growth.

8.                 If you attended this morning’s plenary, you would have heard the discussion on AI-generated works. I am sure you would have come across this artwork shown on screen. This was created with Generative AI model Midjourney, and it won an award at the 2022 Colorado State Fair’s fine art competition. It was competing with other non-AI generated pieces.

9.                 This is just one example of how fast-moving technologies have permanently changed the way we work and we live, and also the way in which we transact and interact with one another.

10.              Other examples include cloud computing, precision medicine, biotech, and 5G communication.

11.              What this really means, is that a business’ value, and its ability to attract investment, as well as its competitive advantage, will increasingly lie in a strong IP portfolio, rather than in physical assets such as land or machinery.

12.              This is also reflected in global IP filing statistics. For example, patent filings have been growing and surpassed 3.5 million in 2023.

13.              Beyond IP protection, this also has implications on the nature of business disputes, for example – whether certain inventions, especially in the AI or biotechnology space, can qualify for patent protection, and the extent of protection accorded to data, to trade secrets, and to know-how, which are essentially ideas, not something that is tangible. It also impacts how disputes involving standard-essential patents, and the appropriate licensing rate for multi-jurisdictional licensing agreements, should be decided. That is particularly relevant given that today, many of our businesses are large-scale, multi-jurisdictional, and cross-border in nature, even if not in the way in which you conduct the business, then certainly in the way in which you use the product.

Asia’s Growing Prominence

14.              Second, Asia is growing as a key node for innovation and dispute resolution. We are right in the middle of Southeast Asia, which sits in the larger Asia, and we see this as a huge area of growth potential.

15.              Indeed, in some ways, this should not be surprising, as economic growth in this region has outstripped the growth in the rest of the world for some time now. Since 2015, real GDP growth in Asia, as a region, has performed better than the rest of the world.

16.              Asia’s share of global IP filings has also correspondingly increased in that time period. In 2023, Asia accounted for two-thirds of all patents and trademarks filed.

17.              By the same token, in dispute resolution, we see the same pattern. I think it is not a surprise, because law follows business. In a 2025 Queen Mary University of London and White & Case International Arbitration Survey, three of the top five preferred seats of arbitration are in Asia – Singapore, Hong Kong, and Beijing. In fact, if you cast your eye over the next five, you will see Dubai, Shenzhen and Shanghai. Similarly, four of the top ten preferred arbitral institutions are in Asia, including Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), who are joint-second.

18.              So in my view, not only is business burgeoning and growing, but they are growing in Asia, and this region’s growth trajectory is, to me, very clear. And I hope that the reason you are all here today, is also to see that for yourself, to understand the importance of the business growth in Asia, and the way in which IP - patents, trade marks - and a proper system for registration and enforcement can really support and power business growth.

A Holistic Strategy: Singapore IP Strategy 2030

19.              With these two observations, let me now describe what I think are the implications for businesses.

20.              First, I believe that businesses are taking an expanded view of IP, beyond just protection. IP now sits at the intersection of law, of business, and of growing emerging technology. It is important that businesses can understand how the legal regime can be used, to secure the most optimal protection for their inventions, brands, and creative works, and have a robust framework for disputes to be resolved. Dispute resolution should not be seen as a good-to-have. It is a must-have. It is embedded within the system, and the more transparent, more neutral and more predictable that system can be, the more confidence you will have in the system.

21.              But it is equally important, if not more so, for businesses to also be able to harness their IP portfolio for growth. Otherwise, IP protection will only exist on paper. You have a good patent, you have a good trade mark, but how do you harness it? How do you commercialise and monetise it?

22.              It is with this perspective that we launched the Singapore IP Strategy 2030 back in 2021.

23.              Amongst various initiatives, IPOS worked with industry partners to launch the Intangibles Disclosure Framework, or “IDF” in short. The IDF helps businesses properly understand, document, and communicate the value of their IP and intangible assets (IA) to external stakeholders.

24.              Last month, as a follow-through from this, a public consultation on draft guidelines for IA valuation was launched. These guidelines were developed by the Institute of Valuers and Appraisers in Singapore, in collaboration with the American Society of Appraisers, Chartered Business Valuator Institute, and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. This set of guidelines will help to increase the transparency and consistency of IA valuation, and this can help businesses more easily transact and monetise their IA, particularly where you are seeking to do so across different jurisdictions. The more you are able to come together to standardise the manner of valuation, and the manner in which you might recognise that valuation, the more likely it is that you will be able to monetise, collateralise and eventually extract value from the IP.

25.              In the area of dispute resolution, IPOS has curated a List of Experts that can assist in IP and technology disputes, for example as expert witnesses. These are experts not just in their technical fields, but also in valuation. This list has also been recognised by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as WIPO Experts on its List of Neutrals.

26.              What then does this mean for IP and for disputes practitioners?

27.              I would venture to suggest that practitioners need to deepen their appreciation of the value of their clients’ IP and technology to their businesses. As a practising lawyer, as an individual business involved in the practice of IP, it is really important not just to have the technical competencies, but to understand the business methodologies and business philosophies of the client, so that practitioners can give better advice, for example in structuring licensing or franchising deals, or, in the event of a dispute, negotiating a financial settlement or a mediation with the counterparty.

Dispute Resolution Not an End in Itself

28                This then brings me to the second implication, which is that dispute resolution is not an end in itself. Instead, it is a means to an end, to enable businesses to further their goals or objectives.

29                That is why the dispute resolution regime needs to be flexible and provide options, to cater to different needs and circumstances.

30                For example, in Singapore, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC), and Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC), taken together, offer a complete suite of dispute resolution options - arbitration, mediation and the commercial court. Parties may opt for mediation if they prefer a less adversarial approach to resolving disputes. Or, they might decide on an arbitration if they wish to rely on the New York Convention for cross-border enforcement. SIAC and SIMC also jointly offer the Arb-Med-Arb protocol, to combine these advantages.

31                The Arb-Med-Arb allows you to start an arbitration, but stay it, or in parallel with it, conduct a mediation. If you find resolution in that mediation, you come back to the arbitration and record a consent arbitral award, which then allows parties to avail themselves of the Convention for enforcement. There are various methodologies by which this is done, but by combining it, you really get the best of both worlds.

32                In addition, Singapore also offers a whole host of leading international arbitration and mediation institutions. Beyond SIAC, SIMC, we also have in Singapore the American Arbitration Association International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA-ICDR). We also have the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center located at Maxwell Chambers in Singapore.

33                We have, over the years, met with many of them and brought them into Singapore, worked with them so that they are all part of the Singapore landscape for international dispute resolution, and we have decided to locate them all at Maxwell Chambers in the same physical space. Maxwell Chambers is the world’s first integrated dispute resolution complex.

34                Why do we do this? Because we believe that having more thought leadership in Singapore allows us to lead in that space, and more importantly, it allows the different institutions to come together, to collaborate. They meet each other, occasionally, opportunistically, and from time to time, we find that that is very useful in sparking a connection and allowing them to collaborate on initiatives that benefit practitioners.

35                Maxwell Chambers offers state-of-the-art, tech-enabled, hearing facilities, as well as a one-stop shop where institutions, hearing rooms, law firms, and legaltech service providers can all be found.

36                These local and international institutions together expand the range of options available in Singapore to suit different needs. In Singapore, we operate on the concept that we want to give the users as much choice as possible, as many options as possible. It does not matter that you might come from different parts of the world, but if you are in Singapore, we want you to be able to use the arbitrator of your choice, the modality of dispute resolution of your choice, as well as the institution of your choice. For example, if parties prefer a more informal process to come together, to chat, to discuss, to find “win-win” solutions, in order to preserve their long-standing business relationships, they might choose to have their disputes resolved by mediation at a neutral institution.

Conclusion

37                Let me say that in closing, I do hope that you will find this afternoon’s session insightful and thought-provoking. Of course, I will not give away any spoilers as to what you might expect to see and hear this afternoon, but I hope it will provide you with a deeper understanding of the business issues, of the challenges that practitioners face, but also how parties come together to think about solutions.

38                Many of you come from different jurisdictions. You have a different perspective of the way in which you deal with and transact with IP, the cultural and contextual nuances of the way in which you practise or do business will also be relevant and important. So, come together and share all these perspectives.

39                This is also just about the mid-point of a very eventful week, and we have got some photographs of the events. We are in the middle of IP Week, but also in the middle of Singapore Convention Week, both taking place concurrently.

40                There is a really wide range of different events, and I hope you found some to your liking, and some that you might attend, but more importantly, to find a location where you will seize an opportunity, at which there are so many people from different parts of the world congregating in one place, that you can come together to build networks, form new partnerships, exchange ideas, and as I said, make new connections.

41                On that note, I wish all of you a really fruitful, collaborative afternoon, and I wish all of you the very best.

42                And it remains for me to wish everyone a very pleasant afternoon, but also for those who have made a long journey into Singapore, that you might take a bit of time to enjoy Singapore, to see a bit of Singapore. I know the weather is a little warm, but the food, and definitely the hospitality, is even warmer.

43                Thank you very much.

Last updated on 27 August 2025