May 12, 2023
Attention Editors
MAY 12, 2023 – To celebrate World Intellectual Property (IP) Day, U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur partnered with the Motion Picture Association (MPA) to host a special screening of The Super Mario Bros. Movie at GSC The Starling Mall yesterday. KRU Media, Golden Screen Cinemas, and Universal Pictures supported this event, titled “Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity.”
Strong IP protection and enforcement are essential to creating jobs and creating economic prosperity and fostering investment in innovation and development. Strong IP protection often translates into more choices and better services for consumers, more employment, more tax revenues, and a more robust economy.
Guest of Honor Ts Dr. Mohd Zuhan Mohd Zain, Chairman of Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia, said, “Today, we have an excellent opportunity to highlight how the IP system can support creative women in their quest to bring their amazing ideas to market. As we celebrate World IP Day, it is good to recognize how robust copyright provides the foundation for creative enterprise to flourish. Without modern, effective copyright laws, those working in the creative fields will not be able to build and sustain a business, employ others, and deliver quality content that entertains us, educates us, and enhances our culture.”
U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia Brian D. McFeeters said, “On World IP Day, we celebrate women creators, innovators, and changemakers, and reinforce our commitment to empowering enterprising women who are forging new horizons with their ground-breaking ideas.”
Ed Neubronner, Senior Vice President, Regional Operations, Communications, Corporate Affairs & Administration, Asia Pacific, added, “The creative business relies on being able to transform great ideas into films or television shows, and find innovative ways of getting them in front of audiences. Every step of that process requires imagination and talent, so today is an important day for focusing on our creative minds and making sure we provide an environment that fully protects their work.”
More than 75 game developers from 11 Southeast Asian countries, who are in Kuala Lumpur to participate in Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Game Changers Workshop, also attended the screening. The YSEALI Game Changers Regional Workshop brought together renowned American and Southeast Asian game design experts to share knowledge and best practices on designing games that address topics, including climate change, civic engagement, economic empowerment, education, and diversity. The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) is the U.S. government’s signature exchange program to strengthen partnerships with emerging leaders in Southeast Asia. Learn more here: https://ysealigamechangers.com/
Every year, MPA Asia Pacific works with local stakeholders to organize outreach programs during World IP Day to foster greater interaction among creative communities, various government agencies, and students from all levels. These programs provide a platform for people to discuss, share, and demonstrate how respect for IP can shape the future and contribute to a more vibrant global economy. This year, MPA partnered with U.S. embassies, consulates, government agencies and local film industries on more than ten events in Asia Pacific countries including China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Download images from World IP Day events round the region: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAAAay
For more information, please contact:
Stephen Jenner; MPA Asia-Pacific; stephen_jenner@motionpictures.org
June Tan; MPA Asia-Pacific; june_tan@motionpictures.org
ABOUT THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION
Promoting & Protecting Screen Communities in Asia Pacific
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the Motion Picture Association International (MPA-I) represent the interests of the six international producers and distributors of filmed entertainment. To do so, they promote and protect the intellectual property rights of these companies and conduct public awareness programs to highlight to movie fans around the world the importance of content protection. These activities have helped to transform entire markets benefiting film and television industries in each country including foreign and local filmmakers alike.
The organisations act on behalf of the members of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc (MPAA) which include: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Netflix Studios, LLC, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Universal City Studios LLC, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. The MPA and the MPA-I have worldwide operations which are directed from their head offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. and overseen in the Asia Pacific by a team based in Singapore. For more information about the MPA and the MPA-I, please visit www.mpa-apac.org.
ABOUT KRU MEDIA
KRU Media is a digital media company providing a total solution for advertising, branded content production, influencer marketing, public relations, and event management. We envision playing an integral role in our clients’ media strategy by leveraging our media platforms and social media icons cohesively to meet our clients’ branding and communications objectives.