
FADE IN:
INT. LIBRARY - NIGHT
Quiet. At a corner, Peter reads thick books but is distracted by his watch movements.
PETER (V.O.)
The dinner is 7:00pm for 7:30pm.
I've to be quick...
EXT. LADDER STREET - NIGHT
As Peter climbs the stone steps, colonial premises are in sight.
PETER (V.O.)
Wow. I frequented the area when
I was a kid... now, the ambiance is
so different.
EXT. RESTAURANT BALCONY - NIGHT
Peter mingles with the HOST (69) and GUESTS. He speaks to a KNIGHT (77).
PETER
Thank you for citing the recent
case of the European Court of
Justice in the Conference. It
illustrates the current judicial
thinking about the domain of
trade marks...
KNIGHT
The Conference was the best
ever in the field...
PETER
They all made reference to you...
The knight gestures dismissively.
INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT
A square table. The knight and a LADY (72) sit on one side. The host and guests sit on other sides. Peter faces the knight and the lady.
KNIGHT
Do you know what brought us
together initially?
The host and guests are perplexed. The lady looks at the cutlery. The knight hesitates.
KNIGHT (Cont'd)
It was hate at first sight! She
was representing the other
side...
All laugh.
LADY
... People don't seem to
recognize Australia. Its world
GDP ranking is 14...
(Reflecting)
In the old days, my peers
dreamed to get to Oxbridge...
Peter listens actively.
PETER(V.O.)
I dreamt to study at HKU only.
When I got the Foreign Office
scholarship, I wanted to be
placed at Cambridge, but
was placed at UCL instead.
The lady continues to share her story.
LADY (Cont'd)
When my husband chose
Harvard rather than Oxbridge,
his peers weren't agreeable.
That jots Peter's memory.
PETER (V.O.)
In the late 1990s, I had a
career development
opportunity to study a MPA
there. But for operational
reasons, I missed the
opportunity. Later, I joined
some executive educational
programs and found I
learned more there.
The lady carries on.
LADY (Cont'd)
In US, they teach ... Space
Law.
Peter raises his hand enthusiastically.
PETER
I studied Space Law!
The lady is surprised.
PETER (V.O.)
At UCL, though ie where the British knight holds the
IP professorship. The Space
Law pioneer taught me then.
The lady carries on.
LADY
When I teach judges from
developing economies, I
focus on copyright and
trade marks only. Patents
are irrelevant. They don't
bother about the implications
of SEPs...
PETER
(Nodding)
Yes, Standard Essential
Patents.
The lady gets excited.
LADY
I once heard an arbitration
case for 200 days...
The eyes of the host and guests are wide open.
LADY (Cont'd)
After drafting a 1200-page
award, the parties settled!
The lady gets all the attention.
HOST & GUESTS
Wow!
English-speaking waitresses put dim-sum baskets and nicely presented Chinese dishes of food on the table. The host and guests raise their glasses.
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
Junction. A limousine picks up the knight and the lady. Having bid farewells, Peter walks with GENTLEMAN#1 towards the MTR station.
PETER
We've known each other
for decades. I'm senior to
you. But tonight, mingling
with my seniors, I feel young!
Gentleman# 1 smiles.
FADE OUT. The End