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"Thus in the past year we have enacted amendments to our Copyright Ordinance to increase sharply the level of criminal penalties and we have increased the strength of the Intellectual Property Bureau of the Customs and Excise Department to help combat copyright piracy.
"We have also introduced into our Legislative Council a Bill to amend our intellectual property laws to fulfil our international obligations as a member of the World Trade Organisation," he added.
Mr Chau noted that the Government was currently engaged in an extensive exercise to update the laws on trade marks, patents, copyright and registered designs and to provide specifically for local laws and local administration systems for their protection.
He said: "To achieve this, a number of reviews have been conducted of our intellectual property laws and we are currently drafting new laws taking account of these reviews.
"In accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of the future Hong Kong Special Administration Region, China has agreed that these laws, when enacted, will continue to be valid after 1997.
"Our aim is to have in place, by 1997, modernised and localised laws for the protection of intellectual property rights which will be in line with international norms and standards."
"A good legislative framework for the protection of intellectual property which is properly enforce will, we believe, encourage creativity and innovation and the transfer of technology into Hong Kong and is therefore essential for Hong Kong's economic development and prosperity," he added.
End/Tuesday, November 14, 1995