International Legal Council held the 8th International IP Legal Conference on March 3 & 4 2026 in Singapore. Tens of IP practitioners from China, Asia, Mid-east, and European countries attended the conference. Llinks partner Mr. Xun Yang was invited to participate a panel discussion on the topic: IP and Privacy in Digital age.
During the discussions, Mr. Yang demonstrated that, in the evolving digital economy, intellectual property (IP) law and data protection law converge on the same intangible target—information—but they approach it from different angles: IP focuses on safeguarding economic rights and incentivizing innovation, while data protection emphasizes moral rights and preserving personal dignity. Their interaction is increasingly significant, as privacy rules set boundaries for how IP can be exploited, ensuring that innovation does not infringe on individual rights.
Mr. Yang also stated that lawyers therefore must possess expertise in both IP and data protection, since advising on one without understanding the other risks overlooking critical conflicts, such as transparency obligations versus trade secret protections or copyright claims versus privacy rights. Only with cross-disciplinary knowledge can legal professionals provide effective, practical counsel that balances innovation with trust in the digital age.
Mr. Yang's speech received applause from the audience. With the fast development of digital economy, IP protection and data issues are becoming critical to safeguard the business growth.
