Danny Marti, Head of Head of Public Affairs and Global Policy at Tencent, at INTA’s 2023 Annual Meeting Live+ Opening Ceremony.

The recently concluded International Trademark Association’s (INTA) 2023 Annual Meeting Live+ saw key partner Tencent participate in a series of intellectual property-related knowledge sharing and engagement sessions. Tencent’s Head of Public Affairs and Global Policy, Danny Marti, spoke on the company’s experience in creating and managing its robust intellectual property (IP) portfolio and working with its partners and other stakeholders to support a robust and effective IP ecosystem. Participants also got to witness a display of Tencent’s “Hyper Digital Reality” in the form of a “digital human” greeting attendees of the largest IP event in the world.

Marti presented his keynote address highlighting aspects of the “digital boom” that is reshaping business, culture, and society, not only across Asia but around the world. Against this backdrop, Marti challenged the audience to consider “what is next” for consumer engagement as we embark on this journey of accelerated digitalisation.

Also making a surprise appearance at Marti’s keynote address was a state-of-the-art, hyper-real, and interactive “digital twin” of Marti himself, which was created with Tencent and TiMi Studio Group technologies, through the capture of over 20,000 images and the generation of over 100 million mapping polygons.

“The building blocks are already being created with digital humans, or avatars, and beginning to support different types of business. This is an early glimpse of how digital advancements will create exciting new ways for realistic, high-functioning avatars to support customer service, educational instruction, as well as new entertainment experiences, just to name a few examples. The possibilities are endless, and a new creative landscape is emerging,” said Marti.

The five-day event, which was attended by over 8,000 participants, saw the company headline major “IP & Innovation”, “The Business of Brands”, and “The Women’s Leadership Initiative Project Team” workshop and tracks. Tencent panellists in a series of discussions and engagement sessions espoused the importance of innovation and intellectual property.

[Left] Etienne Ng, Regional Director (Southeast Asia), Weixin Pay, speaks at the “Best Practices for Leveraging Weixin/WeChat to Engage with Consumers in China (and Beyond)” panel. 

[Middle] Carrie Fan, Director of Global Communications at Tencent, speaks during the “Shifting the Scales: Creating Allies by Inviting a Balanced and Retainable Support Structure” workshop. 

[Right] Ross Zhang, Legal Counsel at Tencent, addresses the audience at the Weixin/WeChat Brand Protection Workshop in the Tencent Hospitality Suite.

Etienne Ng, Regional Director of Southeast Asia, Weixin Pay participated in a panel under “The Business of Brands” track, sharing best practices for leveraging Weixin to engage consumers in China and beyond. He spoke about how brands can leverage the Weixin ecosystem, including Mini Programs, Channels (short-form videos), Weixin Pay, and other features, to tap a 1.3 billion user market and audience.

Tencent’s Director of Global Communications, Carrie Fan, a panellist at a workshop on creating a balanced and retainable support structure at work discussed the importance of increasing gender diversity and women’s representation in leadership positions within the tech sector, and shared her personal experiences driving efforts and initiatives to empower women in the industry.

Over the course of the flagship trademark event, Tencent also welcomed attendees to its Hospitality Suite, which offered a showcase of Tencent’s full range of products, offerings, and IP collaborations. Registrants to the Tencent Hospitality Suite were also treated to daily workshops delivered by Ross Zhang, Legal Counsel at Tencent, on how brands can protect their IP on Weixin through the Weixin Brand Protection Platform.