Press Releases

International Trademark Association Holds Second Annual Asia-Pacific Moot Court Competition in Singapore to Introduce Law Students to Trademark Issues

Published: February 26, 2019

New York, New York—February 26, 2018—The International Trademark Association (INTA) will hold its second annual Asia-Pacific Moot Court Competition in Singapore at the Singapore Management University School of Economics and Social Sciences March 1–2. The competition introduces law students to important issues in trademark law and unfair competition law on an international stage.

Inspired by INTA’s 28-year old Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition in the United States, the Association started the Asia-Pacific Moot Court Competition in 2018 for law schools outside the United States. Drawing schools mainly from the Asia-Pacific region, the competition this year features 21 teams from India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam; in addition, one team comes from the Czech Republic.

As part of the competition, teams must first write a brief on behalf of the appellant or the respondent on a fictional problem related to the general subjects of trademark law and unfair competition law in the region. At the upcoming moot court, they will submit their oral arguments in front of judges.

The eight teams with the highest combined brief and oral argument scores will go on to participate in the second day of competition. The final-round judges are Mark Lim, senior legal counsel at the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore; Supreme Court of Singapore Justice Valerie Thean; and Justice Manmohan Singh, retired Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court, India.

The competition comes during a time of INTA’s ongoing involvement in the Asia-Pacific region. INTA’s 142nd Annual Meeting—the world’s largest trademark event—will take place in Singapore April 25–29, 2020. This marks the second time INTA is bringing its Annual Meeting to Asia and the first time that the organization will host the event in Southeast Asia. In addition, INTA will host its 2019 Asia-Pacific Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 18–19.

“It’s compelling to hold events like the Asia-Pacific Moot Court Competition and the 2020 Annual Meeting in Singapore because of the country’s high intellectual property (IP) ranking and its leadership in promoting economic growth through innovation,” said INTA CEO Etienne Sanz de Acedo. “In addition to raising awareness of IP rights through these events, we’re also honored to help groom the next generation of legal counsel by giving them the opportunity to refine their skills in a moot court setting.”

Winners of last year’s Asia-Pacific Moot Court Competition were:

  • Best Team: National University of Singapore Team 5
  • Second Place Team: National University of Singapore Team 6
  • Winner of the Final of the Oral Argument: School of Law, SASTRA University Team, India 13
  • Runner Up in the Final of the Oral Argument: National University of Singapore Team 5
  • Best Brief: School of Law, SASTRA University Team, India 11
  • Second Place Brief Score: Shanghai Jiao Tong University Team 12

More information on the Asia-Pacific Moot Court Competition is available here. Pre-registration for the 2020 Annual Meeting is now open to INTA members who also register for INTA’s 2019 Annual Meeting, May 18‒22, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

About the International Trademark Association (INTA)

The International Trademark Association (INTA) is a global association of brand owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and related intellectual property (IP) to foster consumer trust, economic growth, and innovation. Members include more than 7,200 trademark owners, professionals, and academics from 191 countries, who benefit from the Association’s global trademark resources, policy development, education and training, and international network. Founded in 1878, INTA is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Brussels, Santiago, Shanghai, Singapore, and Washington, D.C., and representatives in Geneva and New Delhi. For more information, please visit www.inta.org.