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HR, IP & Ethical Sourcing: A Resounding Success at NTW 2025
On June 16th PitchMark® presented an online workshop entitled “Enforcing Staff Compliance with your Organization’s IP Policy” as part of Malaysia’s National Training Week for more than 40 registered attendees, exploring the intersection of intellectual property (IP) and the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Agenda (SDA).
The SDA dates back to 2015 and consists of 17 goals endorsed unanimously by UN member countries to help end poverty, protect the environment, and improve peoples’ lives. One such goal is to promote development-oriented policies that support creativity and innovation, while another promotes sustainable public procurement practices. PitchMark’s presentation emphasized that by aligning with these goals, companies will invariably find new opportunities for growth, innovation, and stronger relationships with customers and vendors who care about ethical and sustainable practices, whereas ignoring these goals leaves businesses vulnerable to risks like legal and regulatory penalties, damaged reputation, and losing market share to more responsible competitors.
Led by PitchMark founder Mark Laudi and Legal Advisor Frank Rittman, Monday’s session was the first of three planned for the week, targeting Chief Human Resources Officers within companies, governments, and organizations, and explaining how they can actively contribute to sustaining creativity by promoting and protecting intellectual property within and around their organizations. Upcoming sessions will target Chief Procurement Officers and Chief Sustainability Officers, respectively.
The presentation for HR professionals included the importance of committing to IP sustainability through the adoption of an IP Integrity and Sustainability Policy, and establishing internal supervision and responsibility for their organization’s activity. Messaging and Communications, and the importance of cooperative and coordinated response mechanisms are slated for examination later in the week. The specific recommendations, as well as detailed steps for the implementation supported by sample documents and templates, are drawn from are drawn from more than 75 specific steps referenced in PitchMark’s IP Compliance Certification Program training designed to help companies strengthen ethical sourcing and protect creative contributions.
The workshop featured real-life examples of IP infringement by companies, sparking discussion among participants about what roles, specifically, HR plays in addressing such allegations. Questions raised by attendees included:
- How can HR distinguish between unintentional and deliberate IP breaches?
- How can freelancers be held to the same IP standards as employees?
- How do we make IP training more engaging, not just a check-the-box exercise?
The National Training Week is organized annually by Malaysia’s Ministry of Human Resources and the Human Resource Development Corporation, providing skills training opportunities for Malaysian professionals to cultivate a lifelong learning culture and bridge workforce gaps. Launched in 2023, it is estimated that more than 2 million enrollments are participating in this year’s event.
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.
