10 myths about intellectual property rights

The ongoing legal wrangles between Apple and Samsung have resulted in a fierce global debate surrounding intellectual property rights. Questions have arisen over whether the patents horded by established companies can stifle innovation from startups. Entrepreneurs also wonder what they can do to protect their intellectual property rights, if anything can be done at all.

In this article, we examine 10 myths about intellectual property rights, and look at the recourses that startups have to safeguard their interests. The bulk of this article is based on a talk given by Professor David Llewelyn at Techventure 2012. David is the deputy dean at the School of Law, Singapore Management University. Read more

Angry Birds maker mulls Hong Kong IPO; wants to be the next Disney

Rovio, the Finnish company which gave us Angry Birds, is considering an IPO in Hong Kong which would happen in 2013, reported Reuters. While Finnish weekly Tekniikka&Talous wrote that an IPO has been planned, marketing chief Peter Vesterbacka said that nothing is confirmed.

Asia is seen as an important revenue source by the games maker. “In Asia there are growing markets — the people and the money,” said Vesterbacka.

Singapore has been a focus of Rovio’s marketing efforts — the rambunctious birds made an appearance at the Singapore F1, whereby local telco Singtel collaborated with Rovio to bring Angry Birds to gigantic screens. The cheers of the crowd determined how far the sling was pulled back and the birds launched forward. Read more

Winners of Asia’s Top 50 Apps announced

The winners for the second Asia’s Top 50 Apps award, organized by SingTel Innovation Exchange and e27, were announced on the second day of Techventure, an annual conference that gathers investors and tech entrepreneurs from around the world. Save for the People’s Choice Award, the other winners were picked by a panel of judges.

Four of the five hail from Singapore. Here is the list of winning apps, and descriptions of what they’re about: Read more

Tech startups blossoming in Singapore, but lack of funding a major obstacle

A recent survey by the National Research Foundation has revealed that close to 5,000 new tech startups were registered in Singapore every year since 2006, or just under 10 percent of all new enterprises.

The proportion of tech enterprises below five years old has gone up as a result. Read more

Techventure – 13-14 Oct

Running for the 15th year, Techventure will be happening again on 13th October 2011 with Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean as the Guest of Honour. Emphasizing Asia as the prime region for the deployment of smart money, Techventure 2011 will welcome the most seminal speakers of their respective fields (see list).

 

Expect to network with innovators, entrepreneurs, and angel/VC/PE investors from all over the world. The festivities include Accelerate, which will recognize the top 50 apps in Asia. Awards will be given out on 14th October (see programme details).

 

This event is presented by National Research Foundation (NRF) and Singapore Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SVCA), and organized by Asiasons WFG in partnership with SingTel Innov8.

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Mapping The Startup Genome: The 7 Signs Of Failure

When you want to map something like the “startup genome”, you know you need more than just your four co-working founder friends – you need an army of people and organisations who work with startups to make it happen. Enter the seed accelerator, Blackbox. Co-founded by techVenture, StartupSchool, and FoundersFirst, Blackbox’s extended team has a track record of working with 100+ startups, including 15 exits such as Bebo, Tapulous and Lala. Now, having profiled more than 650 web startups, Blackbox has released its first Startup Genome Report. It is the first major step toward cracking the innovation code and in their words, “spreading the magic of Silicon Valley to the rest of the world”. Read more