IPOS boosts adjudicator bench to cement Singapore as ADR hub
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has appointed two professionals to its panel of IP adjudicators, as it seeks to support Singapore’s efforts to strengthen its position as the region’s alternative dispute resolution (ADR) hub.
Bringing the total number of adjudicators on the panel to seven, the two new adjudicators will hold the role for two years and will hear IP disputes at the office.
Of the now seven-member panel, three members have also been reappointed while the two new appointees—one a judge and another a law firm partner—have joined the team.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, District Judge Sheik Umar Bin Mohamed Bagushair practised as a dispute resolution lawyer in Allen & Gledhill, Rajah & Tann, and Baker & McKenzie Wong & Leow.
Adrian Tan, a partner at TSMP Law Corporation who is also being appointed as an adjudicator, focuses his practice on disputes concerning technology, IP, and real estate. He previously worked as general counsel at CrimsonLogic, a Singapore government technology company that provides network services in the legal, healthcare and trade sector.
Tan said: “Singapore is fast becoming a role model for other jurisdictions when it comes to innovative ways to resolve disputes. Businesses will benefit greatly from having their IP disputes resolved by trained and experienced IP adjudicators, in an environment that is efficient and transparent.”
Cheng Pei Feng, senior assistant registrar at the Supreme Court of Singapore, was reappointed, alongside David Llewelyn, professor of law at Singapore Management University, and Burton Ong, associate professor at the National University of Singapore.
“The panel of IP adjudicators will support Singapore’s efforts in maintaining its leading position as Asia’s IP hub, particularly as companies look to Singapore as an important venue for complex IP dispute resolution,” added IPOS.
This development is just the latest effort Singapore has undertaken to cement its standing as an ADR hotspot.
In August last year, the office partnered with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to offer reduced rates to businesses and creators that opt for mediation as an ADR to resolve copyright disputes in Singapore.
At the same time in August, members of the United Nations signed the Singapore Convention on Mediation, an agreement to create a global framework that will increase the enforceability of settlement agreements that arise out of mediation.
Early last month, the current head of IPOS Daren Tang was nominated to lead WIPO, succeeding Francis Gurry. If confirmed, Tang will be the fifth director general of WIPO, assuming official duties on October 1, 2020, for a six-year term.
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