112 Commerce and Industry
Participation in International Organisations
To keep abreast of international developments in intellectual property protection, the Intellectual Property Department participated 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. The department also represented Hong Kong, China at other international and regional intellectual property symposiums and conferences, including the 30th and 31st meeting of the APEC Intellectual Property Experts Group held in Japan.
The 2010 International Law Enforcement Intellectual Property Crime Conference was held in Hong Kong in October 2010 to promote global participation and cross- agency participation in the protection of intellectual property rights and to combat transnational organised intellectual property crime. This is the first such conference jointly hosted by the Hong Kong Customs and INTERPOL.
Professional Services Development Assistance Scheme
A $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 that enhance their external competitiveness and standards. These include capacity building programmes (such as international conferences and training courses), market research and promotional activities (such as road shows and exhibitions). Of the 229 projects that received funding under the scheme up to the end of 2010, about 38 per cent were related to enhancing the competitiveness of local professional services 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 operate under the overall guidance of the Business Facilitation Advisory Committee (BFAC) set up in January 2006. The BFAC is made up of representatives from the business, academic, professional and political sectors and senior government officials from the relevant bureaux. Trade 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. The BFAC and its task forces also provide an effective platform for the Government to consult business sectors on regulatory proposals and thrash out implementation details of new regulations.
In February 2007, the Government launched a programme entitled 'Be the Smart Regulator' to improve further Hong Kong's business licensing processes and business environment. The aim is to enhance the efficiency, transparency and customer-friendliness of licensing services provided by Government bureaux and