The accelerated pace of innovation and the digital transformation over the last 30 years has created a new kind of economy in which the basis of wealth and power is derived from the ownership of valuable intellectual property (IP) and the control of data. This digital transformation is also creating a new kind of social and political space, reshaping both public and private spheres. IP and data are now the world’s most valuable business and national security assets.

In this keynote address for the 4th Annual IP Data & Research Conference co-hosted by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) and the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Jim Balsillie, chair of CIGI and the Council of Canadian Innovators, speaks to where Canada falls in the intangible economy and the importance of IP ownership for long-term, sustainable growth.

A moderated Q&A period with Konstantinos Georgaras, chief executive officer (interim) of CIPO, follows.