10th Developments in IP Law Series

The EW Barker Centre for Law & Business (EWBCLB) continues its partnership with IPOS International to co-organise the 10^th Developments in IP Law series in 2023. Reverting to its original in-person format held at Suntec City Convention Centre, this series brought together academics, judges, practitioners and policymakers to discuss key decisions in 2022 in Singapore, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United States and Australia in the following areas: Trade Marks/Passing Off (2 February 2023); Patents (9 February 2023); Breach of Confidence/Privacy & Data Protection (16 February 2023); Copyright (23 February 2023).

Professor David Tan, Head (Intellectual Property) at EWBCLB (and concurrently Co-Director, Centre for Technology, Robotics, AI & the Law), kicked off the first session on Trade Marks/Passing Off on 2 February 2023. The other presenters were Justice James Mellor QC (High Court of England & Wales), Professor David Llewelyn (David Llewelyn & Co LLC), and NUS Adjunct Professor Mark Lim (Director/Chief Legal Counsel, Hearings & Mediation, IPOS International). The Q+A session was facilitated by Mr Paul McClelland (Head of Legal, IPOS International).

Welcome address by Mr Kok Kitt-Wai

Adjunct Professor Mark Lim providing an update on trade mark filings in Singapore

Professor David Tan on judicial decisions in the United States regarding trademark law

Professor David Llewelyn discussing developments in Singapore law

A full house at Suntec City

Justice James Mellor QC addressing the audience via Zoom

Q+A session facilitated by Mr Paul McClelland

The final session of the four-part series concluded on 23 February 2023. Professor David Tan, provided an analysis of judicial decisions from Singapore and the United States on copyright law handed down in the year 2022, which included the copyright infringement lawsuit brought against Katy Perry in the Ninth Circuit as well as the US Copyright Office’s rejection of Thaler’s attempt to register an AI-authored work “A Recent Entrance to Paradise”. Professor Martin Senftleben (Professor of IP Law and Director, Institute for Information Law (IViR), Faculty of Law, University of Amsterdam) commented on developments in the European Union and the UK, while Mr Gavin Foo (Senior Legal Counsel, Legal Department, IPOS) shared highlights of the provisions governing the collective management organisations under the Copyright Act 2021. Justice Mavis Chionh (Supreme Court of Singapore) joined the panel Q+A/discussion which was moderated by Mr Gabriel Ong (Senior Legal Counsel, Hearings & Mediation Department, IPOS; Adjunct Assistant Professor, NUS Law).

Mr Gavin Foo provides an update on CMOs in the Copyright Act

Professor David Tan gets the audience laughing with his presentation on ostinatos

Professor David Tan and Mr Gavin Foo having a chuckle during Professor Martin Senftleben’s presentation

Participants enjoying the mask-free in-person session

Justice Mavis Chionh joins the panel discussion

Professor Martin Senftleben, presenting via Zoom, contemplates a question from the audience

Professor David Tan responds to a question on machine learning in the context of ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion

And it’s a wrap! … now on to the 11^th Developments in 2023