TIV was invited to speak by the International Institute for Trade and Development  (ITD) at the ITD Trade and Development Regional Forum in Bangkok, Thailand

In 2018, TIV’s CEO was invited by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to present as a distinguished speaker at the ITD Trade and Development Regional Forum in Bangkok, Thailand. The symposium featured a gathering of some of the world’s highest-ranking members in industry and research related to technological innovation, including leaders from the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Bank. The event’s theme was “Transformation towards Innovative Trade and Development Agenda for Regional Integration” and featured multiple sessions led by experts in technology, patent law and innovation.

In particular, TIV’s CEO presented alongside senior officials from institutions such as the Center for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) at the University of Strasbourg, Thailand’s Institute of Field Robotics (FIBO), and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) on the topic of  “Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Innovation in the 4th Industrial Revolution.” The discussion was moderated by a Director of ITD and explored novel issues in the rapidly growing field of intellectual property in the digital age. Subjects discussed included the changing dynamics of ethics in light of Industry 4.0 developments; the role of IPR in innovation within the context of regional integration, and how IPR can address the inherent technical disruption associated with increased complexity and usage of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.  

This was followed by a presentation led by TIV based on concepts from the foundational study conducted for the UNIDO General Conference – 17th Session, held the year prior in Vienna, Austria.  The report by TIV, Industry 4.0: Opportunities Behind the Challenge, represented one of the first publications which synthesized information on the driving forces of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (e.g. AI, Blockchain, Robotics, Big Data and the IoT). It also characterized the ramifications of Industry 4.0, such as its benefits (e.g. decentralization; cost-reduction and efficiency; consumer customization), and its potential challenges (e.g. increased technological gap between developed and developing countries; the “black-box” problem of increasingly complex AI).