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First Singaporean to head a UN agency: Local intellectual property chief appointed to lead Geneva-based body

SINGAPORE — The head of Singapore’s intellectual property agency has been appointed to lead the body at the United Nations (UN) dealing with the same issues — marking the first time a Singaporean has led a UN agency.

Mr Daren Tang will take over as director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organisation on Oct 1, 2020.

Mr Daren Tang will take over as director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organisation on Oct 1, 2020.

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SINGAPORE — The head of Singapore’s intellectual property agency has been appointed to lead the body at the United Nations (UN) dealing with the same issues — marking the first time a Singaporean has led a UN agency.

In a statement on Friday (May 8), the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (Ipos) said the job has gone to Mr Daren Tang, 47, who has been the chief executive officer of Ipos since 2015.  

Mr Tang will take over as the next director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo) on Oct 1, the statement said. He will also be Asia’s first head of Wipo.

The protection of intellectual property rights is one of the fastest-growing areas of international law. It covers everything from the enforcement of copyright, cracking down on pirated goods such as knock-off copies of branded watches and garments, to protecting patented business ideas or artistic works from being stolen.

Intellectual property issues are also increasingly important in trade negotiations.

In March, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that Mr Tang was the first Singaporean to be nominated to lead a UN agency. At that time, his appointment had the backing of Wipo, but was awaiting the rubber stamp of the Wipo general assembly.

Based on information from Wipo’s website, it is the global forum for intellectual property services, policy and information. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and oversees 193 member states.

In his pre-recorded acceptance speech published online on Friday, Mr Tang laid out his plans for the UN agency. 

“Wipo must work towards a vibrant and forward-looking global intellectual property ecosystem,” he said. 

Offering more support to developing countries as well as the least developed ones, and working with intellectual property offices to support stakeholders such as artists and start-ups, are among his priorities. 

Taking the Geneva-based job means Mr Tang will be departing Ipos, a statutory board under MinLaw. The statement did not address the matter of Mr Tang’s successor at Ipos.

“His term saw major updates to Singapore’s Intellectual Property Hub master plan, legislative and policy reforms to the intellectual property regime, and a scaling up of international engagement,” the statement said. 

Under Mr Tang’s leadership, Singapore ranked second in the world and top in Asia for the best intellectual property protection in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report in 2019.

Related topics

Daren Tang IPOS WIPO United Nations

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