First Copyright Workshop for Game Developers  conducted by WIPO, IPOPHL, MCST in PHL

30 November 2017

 Participants from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines together with IPOPHL Director General Josephine R. Santiago,  WIPO Deputy Director Dimiter Gantchev, and Mr. David Greenspan of BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.

Left: Mr. David Greenspan discusses the current video game industry landscape | Right: IPOPHL Director General Josephine R. Santiago welcomes participants to the Workshop

 

29 November 2017 -   Game developers and representatives from the IP offices of China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines convened for a 2-day Sub-Regional Workshop on Making a Living from Copyright in the Creative Industries: Business and Legal Issues for Game Developers.  Held in Dusit Thani Hotel from 28 to 29 November 2017, the workshop was organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in cooperation with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST).
 
“Games are very popular since these transcend all ages”, IPOPHL Director General Josephine R. Santiago stated during her welcoming remarks on Tuesday.  She noted that  this workshop is very timely due to the popularity of e-games in today’s generation and surely in the next generations to come, making this workshop  an opportune time to gather game developers and provide them with a platform  to discuss  the relevance of intellectual property, particularly copyright, on game development.
 
Discussion covered topics on  the prevailing videogame industry landscape as a key driver in the creative industries, the legal framework of game development and the role of the copyright system and other relevant forms of intellectual property.  It also covered  licensing and distribution schemes, gaming market, and policy issues from the government and private sector perspectives.
 
Deputy Director Dimiter Gantchev of WIPO led the discussion together with Mr. David Greenspan of BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc., Mr. Andy Ramos Gil de la Haza of Bardaji & Honrado, Mr. Jose Jesus Disini of Disini & Disini Law Office, Ms. Jung Hye Choi of Korea Game Society, Mr. Alvin Juban of Game Developers Association of the Philippines, and Mr. Paul Edward Tajon of the Board of Investments.
 
Also present during the opening of the workshop was Director Jincheol Lee of the Korea Copyright Commission (KCC-Philippines).