XN000022-1991-09-17 — Page 4

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMPER 17, 1991

ENHANCED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY REGIME NEEDED

OF

REGIME IN

KONG HONG GROWTH IN THE TERRITORY'S

PROPERTY, INTELLECTUAL

WILL

MISS

AN ENHANCED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ENCOURAGE AND ASSIST EFFICIENCY AND INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE, THE DIRECTOR ALICE TAI, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).

KONG"

SPEAKING AT A SEMINAR ON "INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN HONG MISS TAI SAID THIS COULD BE ACHIEVED BY ENCOURAGING INVENTIVENESS,

AND BY DESIGN CREATIVE

PROMOTING EFFECTIVE INWARD TRANSFER AND DISSEMINATION OF CREATIVE AND TECHNOLOGICAL INFORMATION.

MISS TAI SAID THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT,

SIGNIFIED THE SET UP IN JULY LAST YEAR,

THE IMPORTANCE ATTACHED TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION IN HONG KONG.

WHICH GOVERNMENT

WAS

HAS

"PRACTICALLY, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AN EXECUTIVE ARM WHICH IS TASKED SPECIFICALLY WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW OR REVISED SYSTEMS FOR THE PROTECTION OF FORMS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SUCH AS COPYRIGHT, INTEGRATED CIRCUITS, AND PETTY PATENTS, SHE SAID.

--

ON THE FUTURE WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT, MISS TAI SAID APART FROM TRADE MARKS, WHERE THERE WAS ALREADY A LOCALISED ORDINANCE AND AN ORIGINAL SYSTEM OF REGISTRATION, HONG KONG WAS HEAVILY DEPENDENT ON UNITED KINGDOM LEGISLATION AND, IN SOME CASES, REGISTRATION SYSTEMS.

"WITH THE IMPENDING CHANGEOVER IN SOVEREIGNTY, IT WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR THIS STATE OF AFFAIRS TO CONTINUE.

LEGISLATION AND, WHERE

"HONG KONG NEEDS 1TS OWN LOCALISED APPROPRIATE, REGISTRATION SYSTEMS," SHE SAID.

MISS TAI ADDED THAT, IN MANY AREAS, HONG KONG'S LAW REQUIRED

UPDATING.

"TO REMEDY THIS, VARIOUS STUDIES HAVE BEEN INITIATED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE LAW REFORM COMMISSION AND THE PATENT STEERING COMMITTEE.

"WHEN THESE STUDIES HAVE BEEN COMPLETED, IT WOULD THEN FALL TO IPD TO ADVISE THE GOVERNMENT ON

THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION, SHE SAID.

SPECIFIC

AS FAR AS "USERS" WERE CONCERNED, MISS TAI SAID THE FIRST SIGN

SYSTEM OF PROGRESS WAS THE EXPANSION OF THE EXISTING REGISTRATION COVER TRADE MARKS USED IN CONNECTION WITH SERVICES.

ENACTED ON MAY 24, THIS YEAR.

TO

THIS WAS DONE THROUGH THE TRADE MARKS { AMENDMENT}

ORDINANCE

WILL HAVE

TO AND

"OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, LOCALISED LEGISLATION BE PUT IN PLACE COVERING THE AREAS OF COPYRIGHT, PATENTS, DESIGNS INTEGRATED CIRCUITS," SHE SAID.

/ON INTERNATIONAL