SiTF – Connecting and Engaging YOU

SiTF & Exploit Technologies CFP Briefing Session

As part of the collaboration between SiTF and Exploit Technologies, a joint Call For Proposal (CFP) was launched to look out for some of the hottest technology startup ideas around. The CFP involves the projects using one of the technologies on offer by Exploit Technologies in their proposal and successfully selected projects will get up to $250k in funding as well as incubation under 123JumpStart.

A briefing session was held for the CFP and a good number of over 60 participants turned up for the session, eager to find out more about SiTF’s offerings and the technologies that Exploit Technologies has in its portfolio.

Over 60 participants turned up for the briefing session

Startup evangelist of SiTF, Charleen, welcomed the participants and introduced Tai-Hou from Exploit Technologies. Tai-Hou introduced the various technologies on offer from Exploit Technologies with great showmanship to the delight of the crowd, using videos and interesting examples.

Tai-Hou presenting on Exploit Technologies

Charleen then took the stage to introduce the participants on the 123JumpStart initiative that SiTF has for startups. She then went on to brief them on the details of the CFP as well as the benefits of incubation under SiTF.

Charleen engaging the audience

Q&A + Networking

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Interaction @ SP…26th April 2012…

The Interaction @ Singapore Polytechnic conference kicks off successfully with a gradual built-up of an overwhelming audience to over 200 participants!!  The event, jointly organised by DMC, WIC, SP School of DMIT and SP Alumni brings together academics, government agencies, entrepreneurs and businesses from a diverse background in the industry.

Aw Peng Soon, Chairman of WIC, opens the conference with a welcome address to the audience and shares about the latest development in the merger progress of DMC & WIC.  He also briefly shares with members and the industry what they could expect in activities and programs from a more synergistic team.

Lau Shih Hor, CEO of Elixir Technology Pte Ltd delivers to a hall filled with audience with his lively presentation which captivates the crowd during his 30 minutes talk.

Elvin Li, Chief Marauder and Co-Founder of Zelrealm Interactive Pte Ltd piques the audience with stories in the world of gaming and how analytics play a critical role in the overall business strategy as a game developer.  And with names like ‘Pirate’, ‘Assassin’ & ‘Ninja’ as designations, his team of motley crew sure draws some eager followers and listeners.

SITF concludes the conference with a segment on the Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) scheme by IRAS, which a large number of the audience are not quite familiar with.  The intention of this sharing segment is to equip the audience, especially the SMEs, basic knowledge and understanding of this support program and how they could potential benefit from it to enhance their productivity.  And in addition, where they could go to for addition enquiries and assistance.

Cloud Vertical’s Day Met with Sun Tzu The Art of War

Mr Albert Tay, SiTF Cloud Chapter's Chairman, introducing the guest speaker Prof. Wee Chou Hou

Prof. Wee Chou Hou sharing on the foundation of Sun Tze's principle.

ICT Idol Is Back. Unleash The Superstar In You!

SiTF ICT Idol is back again to search for that STAR in the Singapore ICT industry.

As we are just a few days away from the opening of applications for audition, let’s take a look back on ICT Idol 2010 and 2011.

ICT Idol was created and inaugurated in last 2010 as a new and vibrant event in the ICT annual calendar. It not only provides a great platform for infocomm technology (ICT) personnel to network informally but also intends to convey the message that ICT personnel are full of fun!

True enough. ICT Idol managed to attract more guests and talents each year.

350 guests turned up during the Grand Finale Night of ICT Idol 2010 to support their stars, bringing up the deserved winner Leo QiJun (from Starhub). First and second runners up were the cute trio Jasper Tan, Shin Xu & Marshall Ma (Ianstitute of Systems Science, National University Singapore) and Desiree Villavieja (OPUS IT Services) respectively. The Mr. Congeniality award was awarded to Fong Weng Seng who was also represented OPUS IT.

Watch ICT Idol 2010 video here.

Last year, the turn-up was close to 450. The whole audience were entertained by the performances of Lau Shih Hor of Elixir Technology & Sharon Loi from IDA (ICT Idol 2011 Winner), May Tey of StarHub (ICT Idol 2011 2nd prize), and The Three Os – Siti, Sha’aban and Azmi from StarHub (ICT Idol 2011 3rd prize). The Ms. Congeniality award went to Ms Teresa Garcia from Ingram Micro.

Watch ICT Idol 2011 video here.

There you have it, the recap of ICT Idol 2010 & 2011.

And as we prepare for the application of auditions, we cant help wonder… Singapore ICT Industry, who will be your next ICT Idol?

Application for audition starts on 26  April and ends on 17 August 2012. For details, please click here.

Almost 200 Industry People Attended SiTF Golf Classic 2012

19 April 2012 – Although the weather was cloudy and rained, almost 200 people gathered there today for SiTF Golf Classic 2012.

It was a great scene to see most golfers wearing the special made SiTF Golf Classic’s Golf T-Shirt waiting at the bay to drive off the buggy to their respective tee-off hole. The golf tournament was started after 1pm.

SiTF was honoured to have Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Information, Communications and the Art as our Guest-of-Honour and teed off the game together with Mr Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer of IDA, Mr Eddie Chau, SiTF Chairman and Mr Ng Tian Beng, SiTF Treasurer.

The weather was superb, which contributed to smooth sail game for the golfers. Almost all golfers finished the game before 6pm. After an afternoon game, the golfers were treated to a sumptuous dinner. We were pleased to have Distillerys sponsored Whisky for the evening.

The dinner hall was filled with laughter and people were moving round the tables to network. The highlight for the evening was the announcement of tournament winners. SiTF would like to congratulation the following winners.

(Results based on Double Peoria Handicapping System)

Novelty Events

Nearest To Pin:

Lake Course #2:  Mr Jason Yeo, Extreme Networks

Palm Course #3: Mr Chong Nai Ming
Narest to Line

Lake Course #18:  Mr Mark Teo

Palm Course #11: Mr Kenneth Poh

Tournament

Overall Champion

Winner:
Mr Jason Yeo, Extreme Networks (Handicap16. Scoring 37 Stableford Points (ocb)
Palm Course (Blind holes No: 3, 5, 10, 12 and 16)

Winner: Mr Ho Kah Choy (Handicap 17. Scoring 37 Stableford Points

^st Runner-up: Mr Lai Chee Kin (Handicap 20, Scoring 36 Stableford Points (ocb))

-2nd Runner-up: Mr Ng Yen Pin (Handicapped 19, socing 36 Stableford Points

Like to view more photographs? You may view event photo album at SiTF facebook fanpage – sitfsocial

Using WIPO ADR to Resolve Software Disputes

Avoiding costly and lengthy litigation in court is of prime interest for both software vendors and users. In cases where parties are not able to resolve their disputes through direct negotiations, alternative dispute resolution procedures (ADR) to court litigation, such as mediation and arbitration can be particularly advantageous to resolve software related disputes, in particular when the parties to a dispute are based in different jurisdictions.  For example, mediation can be helpful when there is an ongoing business relationship between the parties and the parties are interested in continuing

that relationship. The experience of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (WIPO Center) demonstrates that mediation and arbitration leave ample space for the parties, with the help of the neutral(s) selected, to settle their case and to obtain remedies tailored to the special circumstances of their relationship.

Potential areas of dispute include software development, disputes involving the quality/performance of the delivered software, disputes involving timely delivery, project and outsourcing disputes, software licence disputes, source code and escrow disputes and reseller disputes. Such disputes are often related to Business-to-Business software, Customer Relationship Management software, database management software, financial software, and multimedia software, service-level agreement, among others.

Parties involved in software disputes frequently include software developers, programmers, ICT companies and users, outsourcers, telecommunication providers, banks, hardware manufacturers and service providers.

Effective proceedings to a large extent depend on the quality of the mediator, arbitrator or expert, who needs to be able to understand the relationship between technology and complex legal matters to achieve success in the resolution of software disputes. For this purpose, the WIPO Center maintains an open-ended list of neutrals, including mediators, arbitrators and experts from around the world with expertise in software matters, including from Singapore.

The WIPO ADR services are well suited for ICT disputes and about one third of the mediation and arbitration cases administered by the WIPO Center are in the area of ICT.

As referral to WIPO ADR is consensual, to facilitate party agreement, the WIPO Center provides recommended contract clauses (for the submission of future disputes under a particular contract) and submission agreements (for existing disputes).

To better illustrate the benefits of WIPO ADR for software related disputes we have included below a series of examples of mediations and arbitrations administered by the WIPO Center:

WIPO Mediation

• A European airline entered into an agreement with a US software company concerning the development of a worldwide platform for the management of ticket sales. This was followed by a professional services agreement, which contained a more detailed description of the project as well as the support services to be delivered by the software company. The latter agreement included a WIPO mediation followed by WIPO expedited arbitration clause. The airline paid several million USD for the application. Some years later, the airline terminated the agreement. In response, the software company asserted that, with the termination, the airline’s rights in the application had lapsed and requested the software to be returned. The airline was of the position that it was entitled to retain the software application and initiated mediation. The result of the mediation was a new license between the parties.

WIPO Mediation Followed by Expedited Arbitration

• A publishing house entered into a contract with a software company for the development of a new web presence. The project had to be completed within one year and included a clause submitting disputes to WIPO mediation and, if settlement could not be reached within 60 days, to WIPO expedited arbitration. After 18 months, the publishing house was not satisfied with the services delivered by the developer, refused to pay, threatened rescission of the contract and asked for damages. The publishing house filed a request for mediation. While the parties failed to reach a settlement, the mediation enabled them to focus the issues that were addressed in the ensuing expedited arbitration proceeding.

Following the termination of the mediation, the publishing house initiated expedited arbitration proceedings. The WIPO Center appointed a practicing judge as sole arbitrator who had been agreed by the parties. The arbitrator conducted a one-day hearing in Hamburg, Germany, in the course of which the parties expressed their desire to settle their case, asking the arbitrator to prepare a settlement proposal. The parties accepted the arbitrator’s proposal and requested the arbitrator to issue a consent award. In addition to confirming the terms of the settlement, the consent award made reference to a press release to be published by the parties announcing the settlement of their dispute.

WIPO Arbitration

An Asian company and a European software developer negotiated to form a joint venture company and entered into a license agreement to provide a mobile payment service in a number of Asian countries. Prior to the joint venture’s formation, a dispute arose between them concerning performance of the license agreement. The Asian company submitted a request for arbitration under the WIPO Arbitration Rules on the basis of the license agreement, and also obtained an interim order freezing the European developer’s bank account from a court based in the European developer’s domicile.

In the WIPO arbitration, the European developer requested the arbitrator to issue an interim award ordering the Asian company to discharge the freezing order, to refrain from initiating any further action in court without prior consent of the arbitrator and to provide a bank guarantee in order to secure payment of the European developer’s counterclaim. The arbitrator, while declining to undertake action in direct relation to the court case, ordered the Asian company to provide a bank guarantee in favour of the European developer. The Asian company provided the bank guarantee as ordered.

At the suggestion of the arbitrator and with the consent of the parties, having reviewed the further pleadings in the case, the arbitrator convened a conciliation conference in Geneva, Switzerland, at which he communicated to the parties his provisional conclusions on the matter referred to arbitration. No written record was provided to the parties of the views so communicated. Although the parties did not immediately settle the case, they were able to do so after further discussions in the weeks that followed. The European developer agreed to pay a certain amount and to return the bank guarantee to the Asian company, which in turn agreed to transfer relevant intellectual property rights to the developer.

WIPO Expedited Arbitration

• A software developer based in the US and a European company concluded an on-line license agreement permitting use of the European company’s security software for internet distribution of the developer’s software. The license agreement contained an arbitration clause providing that all disputes should be resolved under the WIPO Expedited Arbitration Rules. Several years after the conclusion of the agreement the software developer submitted a request for Expedited Arbitration to the WIPO Center. He alleged that the European company’s security application had not prevented third parties from unauthorized access to his software and claimed substantial damages for breach of contract.

The parties chose one of the candidates proposed by the WIPO Center as sole arbitrator. Because of the geographical distance between them and in order to avoid cost expenditure for travel, the parties agreed to hold the hearing through a videoconference, including witness examinations. Following post-hearing submissions, the arbitrator rendered a final award.

SiTF and WIPO Collaboration
SiTF and the WIPO Center have established a relationship to raise awareness of ADR options to court litigation available to ICT vendors, their partners and customers. For this purpose, SiTF and the WIPO Center collaborate in the organization of trainings on legal topics in the ICT sector. In this regard, SiTF and the WIPO Center organized a seminar on Preparation for Mediation of IT Disputes on December 7, 2011 at Maxwell Chambers.

SiTF members also enjoy special rates when using the WIPO Center dispute resolution services.

WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
The WIPO Center is part of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property system. With offices in Geneva, Switzerland and, since 2010, at Maxwell Chambers in Singapore, the WIPO Center is a neutral, independent, international and non-profit dispute resolution provider that offers ADR services, such as mediation and arbitration to enable parties to efficiently settle their disputes. The WIPO Center is particularly recognized for the administration of international intellectual property, technology and entertainment disputes involving private parties.

For more information on the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, please click here.

To download special WIPO Mediation / (Expedited) Arbitration rates for SiTF Members, please click here.

Contact Details
Mr. Leandro Toscano
WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center Office in Singapore
Maxwell Chambers
32 Maxwell Road #02-02
Singapore 069115
T +65 6225 2129
F +65 6225 3568
E arbiter.mail@wipo.int
W www.wipo.int/amc

ISC Business Mission to Fujian

ISC, with the support from IDA Shanghai Office, brought 10 Singapore leading ICT companies including NCS, STE, visited Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Xiamen on 22 -23 Mar 2012.  The objectives of the mission trip aims to promote business cooperation and exchanges between Singapore and Fujian in the field of information and communication, looking for investment for both ICT companies in the areas of technical cooperation, project participants and other opportunities.

Fujian ICT industry in recent years made leaps and bounds. 2011, Fujian software industry revenue of 80.7 billion yuan, up 40.1 percent over the previous year, 75 enterprises with annual revenue over a hundred million, of which seven companies over 10 billion; Xiamen City was “China’s service outsourcing demonstration cities, Fuzhou Software Park, the “national demonstration base of software and information services.

22 March: Jointly organized by Fujian Information Bureau, Fujian ICT Industry Federation, IDA and ISC, the Fujian – Singapore’s ICT Industry Seminar and Matchmaking Symposium was held on Mar 22 in Fuzhou Software Park. There are more than 50 Fujian leading ICT companies attended the interaction to discuss cooperation. This is Singapore’s ICT industry and Fujian for the first time to carry out the scale, deep-level cooperation and exchange activities.

The general director of Fujian Information Bureau, Mr. Lu Zhenrong, and the deputy general director of Fujian Information Bureau, Mr. Shao Yurong and the deputy general director of Xiamen Information Bureau, met the Singapore ICT delegation in Fuzhou and Xiamen respectively.

23 March: Jointly organized by Xiamen Information Bureau and ISC, the Xiamen – Singapore’s ICT Industry Matchmaking Symposium was held on 23 Mar afternoon in Xiamen Software Park. There are more than 30 Xiamen leading ICT companies attended the interaction to discuss cooperation.

All SG participants expressed this Fujian mission trip is valuable and fruitful for them to look for local partners and identify opportunities in Fujian province. During the mission trip, they built good relationship with local government officers and lot of local ICT entrepreneur. Most of SG companies have at least three potential partners for further interaction and discussion. Some of the companies have found solid leads in bank, metro system and SaaS Cloud services through ISC’s connection.

Cloud Chapter Networking: 23 March

SiTF Cloud Computing Chapter held its networking at Tawandang@ Suntec on 23 March 2012.

The theme for the networking was on Cloud Computing: Key Opportunities and Challenges in the Tax.

We also thank our partner Hewlett-Packard for sponsoring the event.

Mr Albert Tay, Chairman of Cloud Computing Chapter welcomed the attendees

Mr Sunil Agarwal, Tax Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers Singapore, sharing on Tax opportunities

Mr Abhesh Kumar, Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers Singapore

Mr Thomas Wee sharing on HP Project Moonshot

Chow Time

For more photos, visit http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.323450617717757.81453.152199398176214&type=1

21st Mar 2012, Driving Green Solutions In The Enterprise…

In an on-going effort to educate the industry, Green IT Chapter (GRIT) of SITF and Nanyang Polytechnic line up a list of speakers from the powerhouses in the ICT industry to share about thought leadership, technique and tools in how organisations could embark on a green journey.

 With the continuous rise in energy cost, lack of knowing energy consumption and perhaps not having a suitable benchmark in energy use efficiency, this forum provides organisations a platform to seek answers and query the experts their secrets in green actions.

Peter Goh, Chairman of GRIT opens the conference with a welcome note to the audience from a diverse background, from government agency and academic to developer and provider of leading-edge in technology organisations listening intently to the mission of GRIT.

With our first speaker from a consulting powerhouse, Accenture, Ynse de Boer kicks off the conference to an eagerly anticipated audience.

Julian Chan of Microsoft sharing about The Microsoft Story and how organisations, large or small could start from a pilot scale as the first steps in green implementation.

With a string of IT experience spread over the north and south hemi-sphere, we could not have a more appropriate speaker than Robert Hicken from HP exchanging ideas and trading stories with the audience.

The presentation and tour by John Fung and Foo Yong Wee of Nanyang Polytechnic provide a glimpse of the Centre of Innovation, Electronics, in which a wide spectrum of solutions are being test-bedded.  This platform provides enduser companies and industry players an unparalleled opportunity to stress-test applications before rolling out in the commercial space.

SiTF Asia Pacific ICT Summit – 13 & 14 March

SiTF Asia Pacific ICT Summit which was held from 13 to 14 March 2012 at Marina Bay Sands has come to a successful close. The 2-day event, opened by Guest-of- Honour Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Minister of Transports, attracted over 500 attendees.

Over the 2 days, our panel of distinguished speakers shared valuable insights and new perspectives on how digital engagement can power organisations.

For the start-ups, there was the pitching platform where 14 startups met pitched to 22 investor mentors at lunch.

We also like to thanks our partners, sponsors and exhibitors - IDA, IDMPO, MDA, WDA, Brandtology, Brother International, Certis Cisco, Compureware Asia Pacific,  HP, InterCall, Progreso Networks, Salesforce.com, ST Electronic (Info-Comm  Systems) and Tata Consultancy Services for their support.

Most speaker’s presentation decks are now available at SiTF’s facebook fanpage. Do like us in order to access for information here.

For video footage, it will also be uploaded at the fanpage. Announcement will be made in our social media channels on the availability. Join us at facebook/sitfsocial to stay tune for the updates.

View event photo album on our facebook: