COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
submitted its relevant laws to the WTO's Council for Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) for review in 2000. The HKSAR's laws were confirmed to be fully consistent with the WTO TRIPS Agreement.
'The Intellectual Property Department runs the Trade Marks, Patents and Designs Registries, advises on policy and legislation related to intellectual property protection, provides legal advice on intellectual property to other government departments, and promotes public awareness of and respect for intellectual property rights.
Trade Marks
The Trade Marks Registry is responsible for the registration of trade marks in respect of goods and services. Every mark must satisfy the requirements of the Trade Marks Ordinance before it can be accepted for registration in the HKSAR. The procedure for applying for registration is laid down in the Trade Marks Rules. In 2000, 28 114 applications were received, of which 17 187 were in respect of goods and 10 927 were in respect of services. During the period, 16 920 marks were registered, a decrease of 1.3 per cent compared with 17 140 in 1999. The principal places from which applications originated were:
HKSAR
USA
Japan
Germany
United Kingdom
7 598
British Virgin Islands
1 228
6 384
Switzerland
1 128
2 131
France
922
1 435
Taiwan
710
1 397
Singapore
661
The register had a total of 136 477 marks as at December 31, 2000.
Patents
The Patents Ordinance provides for the grant of standard patents based on patents granted in the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China, the United Kingdom Patent Office or the European Patent Office (in respect of patents designating the United Kingdom). It also provides for the grant of short-term patents. In 2000, the Patents Registry received 8 295 standard patent applications and 2 737 were granted. During the period, there were also 274 applications for grant of short-term patents, and 233 were granted.
Registered Designs
The Registered Designs Ordinance enables designs to be registered independently in the HKSAR. In 2000, the Designs Registry received 1904 applications for registration of 2 898 designs, comprising 1 581 single-design applications and 323 multiple-design applications. During the period, 2 684 designs were registered.
Copyright
The Copyright Ordinance provides protection for literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, typographical arrangements of published editions, sound recordings, films, broadcasts, cable programmes, and performers' performances irrespective of
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