CO129-436 - Acting Governor Claud Sever & Governor Sir May & Public Offices - 1916 [11-12] — Page 402

FOX 154.

399

Downing Street,

January, 1917. 1.Jel.

Dear Mr. Fox,

classes:-

neay Trade marks at Hong Kong fall into two

(a) Marks belonging to firme having no establish- ments in the country Colony

(b) Marks belonging to firms having establishmentr in the country Cons

With regard to (a) we have followed the policy adopted in the United Kingdom i.e.we have not directed their cancellation or sale, and there does not appear to be sufficient reason for making the policy in Hong Kong an exception to that adopted generally by His Majesty'a Government. We have, however, arranged that all these marks shall be vested in the local custodian of enemy property, and held by him until the end of the war, when they can be dealt with in accordance with any general policy regarding the treatment of private enemy property which may be adopted by His Majesty's Government. Meanwhile they are being kept off the market, and we hope that British firms will take the opportunity to introduce trade marks of

their ow.

(b) The same reasons against cancellation apply in this case, is in that just mentioned. These marke might, however, have been sold as assets of the own Lag. firms which are all of them being liquidated. We have nowever decided not to sell for the following reasons.

(1)