XN000022-1987-09-04 — Page 6

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1987

HK INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW ADEQUATE

THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWS OF HONG KONG ARE MORE THAN ADEQUATE, AND ARE, IN FACT, MORE STRINGENT THAN THE LAWS AND PRACTICES OF MANY COUNTRIES, DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPED, SAID THE HEAD OF THE CUSTOMS TRADING STANDARDS INVESTIGATION BUREAU, MR JOHN HOWARD, TODAY (FRIDAY).

SPEAKING TO THE LIONS CLUB OF HONG KONG TODAY, MR HOWARD SAID HONG KONG BACKS UP ITS LEGISLATION WITH SUBSTANTIAL RESOURCES WHICH COMPARES VERY FAVOURABLY WITH RESOURCES ALLOCATED BY COUNTRIES ELSEWHERE.

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT, WHICH UNDERTAKES TO ENFORCE THE TRADE DESCRIPTIONS ORDINANCE AND THE COPYRIGHT ORDINANCE, HAS A SPECIAL TASK FORCE COMPRISING 150 INVESTIGATORS WITH WIDE-RANGING POWERS.

"WHERE DEMAND

ARISES,

A FURTHER 450 INVESTIGATORS MAY BE CALLED OUT FROM OTHER DIVISIONS OF THE CUSTOMS INVESTIGATION BRANCH AT SHORT NOTICE.

"HE ALSO SAID THE STRATEGY ΤΟ ATTACK COUNTERFEITING AND COPYRIGHT PIRACY IN HONG KONG IS DIRECTED AT ALL LEVELS FROM RETAILING AT STREET LEVEL, LARGE AND SMALL ESTABLISHED RETAIL PREMISES, MANUFACTURING OUTLETS, TO IMPORT AND EXPORT.

"ACTION IS TAKEN IN RESPONSE TO COMPLAINTS

RECEIVED OR SELF

INITIATED THROUGH SURVEILLANCE AND INTELLIGENCE.

"SPECIAL ATTENTION IS ALSO PAID ΤΟ THE IMPORTATION AND EXPORTATION OF SUSPECTED COUNTERFEIT GOODS AT ALL ENTRY AND EXIT POINTS BY THE 3,000 STRONG CUSTOMS OFFICERS OF THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT.'

TH

IN ORDER TO PROTECT OWNERS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COVERING COMPUTERS AND THEIR ACCESSORIES, OFFICERS OF THE

AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT HAVE TAKEN ENFORCEMENT ACTION UNDER BOTH THE TRADE DESCRIPTION ORDINANCE AND THE COPYRIGHT ORDINANCE AGAINST THE FORGING OF TRADE MARKS IN BOTH COMPUTER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE AND MORE RECENTLY, INFRINGEMENT, OF COPYRIGHT IN SOFTWARE PROGRAMMES.

REGARDING INFRIGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IN COMPUTER SOFTWARE, IT WAS RULED THAT EVEN THOUGH THE SOFTWARE WAS EMBEDDED IN A CHIP IT OFFENDED THE COPYRIGHT OF THE OWNER AND AN OFFENCE HAD BEEN COMMITTED.

BETWEEN JANUARY AND JULY THIS YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT HAD MADE 623 SEIZURES OF GOODS VALUED AT $30.9 MILLION AND PROSECUTED 489 PERSONS AND FIRMS UNDER THE TRADE DESCRIPTIONS ORDINANCE, WHILE 88 SEIZURES WORTH $0.56 MILLION WERE MADE AND 59. PERSONS AND FIRMS PROSECUTED IN THE SAME PERIOD UNDER THE COPYRIGHT ORDINANCE.

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