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PitchMark It Before Pitch It: NTW 2025 Session Delivers Powerful Case for IP Protection in Sustainable Procurement
Building on its success earlier in the week, PitchMark concluded its participation in Malaysia’s National Training Week (NTW) 2025, with a webinar on Friday, June 20th, for Chief Sustainability Officers concerning the importance of intellectual property protection in the context of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Agenda. Entitled “Developing Compliance with SDGs 8 & 12 Through Vendor IP Protection”, the presentation focused primarily on the importance of cooperating and coordinating with investigations concerning allegations of IP infringement.
Adopted in 2015 and intended for completion by 2030, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Agenda consists of 17 separate goals aimed towards ending poverty, protecting the environment, addressing unfairness, and balancing growth for the planet.
As PitchMark Founder Mark Laudi and PitchMark’s Legal Expert Frank Rittman explained, however, the SDGs are not just lofty ideas or concepts; they also have real and practical impacts on businesses today by creating opportunities for growth while reducing vulnerabilities to risks like damaged reputations, regulatory penalties, financial damages, and lost market shares.
The session featured compelling narratives illustrating how intellectual property rights protection can be easily overlooked during the procurement cycle, impacting the company’s overall sustainability. Real-life examples of what happens when ideas are misused, intentionally or otherwise, including one recent incident involving a high-profile Malaysian aviation company, were presented as illustrations.
Rittman explained that even though the best compliance program can’t prevent instances of mismanaged IP, what matters most in the eyes of the law is how the organization responds once such mismanagement occurrences are discovered. Committing to a policy of cooperating with IP integrity and sustainability sets a clear tone of transparency and good faith.
Specific recommendations that, taken together, demonstrate trust and sustainability amongst vendors, creators, and regulators alike were presented along with templates and suggested narratives for their implementation. These steps include appointing a qualified point of contact to handle and respond to IP infringement claims, suggestions for their internal investigation, provisional and subsequent response communications, and the proper means of coordinating with counsel, among others.
PitchMark is a Singapore-based company providing services for the creative community regionally and globally, including most notably the PitchMark Certificate: a free, blockchain-based attestation of originality that can be used by innovators as part of the submission of their creative ideas.
Attaching a PitchMark Certificate to any creative work serves as an indication of the creator’s awareness of their legal rights, and their readiness to enforce them, acting as a preventive deterrent to sustain ethical procurement practices.
PitchMark also offers a comprehensive IP Compliance Certification Training program for companies, organizations, and governments involving more than 75 specific and detailed recommendations along with associated sample documents and templates for their easy implementation.
Drawing upon the conclusion of National Training Week 2025, Mark Laudi exhorted Malaysian businesses to lead by example, making IP respect a core part of both their company’s sustainability and Malaysia’s contribution to its international obligations.
PitchMark trains clients to respect vendors’ intellectual property and build lasting trust, leading the way in responsible procurement. Get PitchMark certified to position your brand as a leader in ethical sourcing and innovation. Visit PitchMark.net and register as a PitchMark client today.
