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programmes for officials in both places and intensive promotion of 'No Fakes Pledge' Scheme. In 2007, Hong Kong Customs continued to have close cooperation with its counterparts on the Mainland in exchanging experience in the enforcement of intellectual property-related offences. Liaison meetings, training seminars, visits and information exchange between the two sides were conducted regularly. Hong Kong Customs also carried out joint operations with the Guangdong Customs on a regular basis for combating the smuggling of infringing goods across boundaries.
Participation in International Organisations
To keep abreast of international developments in intellectual property protection, the Intellectual Property Department continued to participate in various international forums, including the activities of the WTO Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and conferences at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The department also represented Hong Kong, China, at other international and regional intellectual property symposiums and conferences, including the 24th meeting of the APEC Intellectual Property Experts Group held in Canberra, Australia, in January and the 25th meeting held in Chinese Taipei in June.
To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a cultural exhibition 'Hong Kong Creativity Intellectual Property in Hong Kong, China' was held at the WIPO in Geneva, Switzerland, from September 24 to October 12. The exhibition showcased Hong Kong's creative strength to over 1 000 delegates to the WIPO Assemblies.
Professional Services Development Assistance Scheme
The $100 million Professional Services Development Assistance Scheme was launched in 2002 to provide funding support, on an equal matching basis, for professional service sectors to organise projects to enhance their external competitiveness and standard. Projects funded include capacity building programmes, such as international conferences and training courses, market research, promotional activities, roadshows and exhibitions. Of the 159 projects that were rolled out, about 49 per cent related to enhancing the competitiveness of the local professional service sector in the Mainland market.
Business Facilitation
The Government has pledged to cut red tape and simplify regulations to facilitate and sustain a vibrant business environment in Hong Kong. The business facilitation initiatives are taken forward under the overall steer of the Business Facilitation Advisory Committee (BFAC) set up in January 2006. The BFAC is made up of representatives from the political, business, academic and professional sectors and senior government officials from the relevant bureaux. Industry representatives provide their input through participation in the business facilitation task forces. Under the guidance of the BFAC and its task forces, regulatory reviews were conducted and measures were initiated to make government regulations and procedures more business-friendly and reduce compliance costs to business. In 2007, 23 studies and projects, focusing mainly on the regulations governing the construction, real estate,
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