World IP Day - Celebrating Kiwi Innovation, Creativity & Enterprise

Celebrating Kiwi Innovation, Creativity & Enterprise

This year marked the 10th anniversary of World IP Day and 40th anniversary of the Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Currently, (as of 1 March 2010) there are 184 WIPO members including New Zealand.
 

New Zealand Centenary Trade Marks Certificates 

On World IP Day, 26 April 2010, 19 Certificates were issued to the 13 eligible trade mark owners who have maintained a registered trade mark on the New Zealand Trade Mark Register for 100 years. These Certificates acknowledge the effort IP owners put into sustaining their brands and business reputation through trade marks.

Kiwi Innovation – Linking the World

A special World IP Day event for Wellington Secondary School student and teacher music, media studies, science, technology and design representatives was held inside the Park Road Post Production Cinema. These young entrepreneurs discovered how kiwi innovation is linking the world by engaging in a panel discussion with inspiring mentors from the film and music industries and science research.

Holding the event within the heart of Wellington’s Miramar film epicentre added to the occasion. Park Road Post Production is part of a creative community that includes the Academy Award® winning Weta Digital and Weta Workshop and the soundstages of Stone Street Studios.

The mentor panel comprised:

Louise Baker, Head of Corporate Services at Park Road Post Production, a NZ Film & Television board member and supporter of the Film Archive. Louise has also been the Acting CEO of Film New Zealand and knows a lot about kiwi film locations and international shoots.

Dr Mark Sagar, biomechanical engineer and Academy Award® winning expert on facial animation. Mark started out as a medical researcher building computer simulations of the human eye and now is a Special Projects Supervisor with Weta Digital.

John Watt, the Prime Minister’s inaugural Emerging Scientist Award winner and graduate student at Victoria University. John’s PhD research project focuses on the creation of palladium nanoparticles that can remove toxic gases from exhausts.

Rebbecca Caughey, who founded a music management company at the age of 19. Funktion Music Ltd now manages some of New Zealand’s top artists including Shapeshifter and Ladi6 internationally. Rebecca has also won the Sir Peter Blake Trust Emerging Leader Award.

The mentors captivated the audience and drew them into the discussion with questions about career options through to IP protection. Everyone left feeling inspired at how kiwi innovation continues to push creative and technological boundaries in film, music and science.