- ཁ་ཤ
COPY.
WILKINSON & GRIST
Solicitors and Notaries.
The Colonial Secretary.
Bir,
>
29902
9, Queen's Road,
Hongkong, 17th September, 1919.
51
We have been consulted by a Dutch firm carrying
on business in this Colony with reference to the following
matter:-
Our clients are informed by their head office in Holland that negotiations are being entered into with German firme as a result of which German goods may be forwarded to our clients for sale in this Colony, and our clients consid- er it possible that the goods consigned to them from Germany for sale here will bear trademarks which were form- erly the property of Germans, trading here and in their own country, but the rights in respect of which are now vested in the Custodian of Enemy Property, by virtue of Sec. 18 of Ordinance No. 11 of 1917; and who, consequently, would be entitled to take drastic measures in the event of the arriv- al here of goods bearing on them such trade-marks.
Now, it is, we think, doubtful whether the former, German, proprietors of those trade-marks (who are, of course, undoubtedly still entitled to the right to the exclusive use of them in Germany, and possibly in parts of the world other than Hongkong) are aware of the Ordinance in question, and they may therefore believe that there exists no danger whatsoever in continuing to apply such trade-marke to goods intended for export to Hongkong.
Further, it seems to us that it may well have already been considered, both by this Government and the Home Government, inexpedient to place obstacles in the way of the resumption of trade with Germany, such as would necessarily arise if German firms were prevented from
exporting