TNAG-2890-FCO40-4162-Reform-and-localisation-of-the-Hong-Kong-Patent-System-1993 — Page 127

This

mber

utions

7.11.

Table F shows the relative share of Hong Kong's domestic exports by major markets in 1970, 1980 and 1990. This gives a simple picture of Hong Kong's major trading partners. If this information is used together with Table A the number of patents registered in Hong Kong in 1990-91 in the name of residents of those countries which were Hong Kong's major trading partners in 1990 can be seen:

een

tions

Country

No. of patents of residents registered in

Approx. % share of

domestic

Approx. % share of patents

1990/91

exports

in 1990(1)

USA

China

Germany UK

Japan

294

2-532

20

29

40

1

21

<1

67

8

6.3

65

5

6 in

6.1

27.6

These figures come from Table F

7.12

Table G sets out the numbers of patents applied for and granted or registered in a number of countries including Hong Kong and allows comparison between the number of applications by residents and the number of applications by non-residents in those countries. These statistics are taken from the WIPO Industrial Property Statistics 1989. It may be noted that in developed countries the percentage of patents filed by resident inventors is significantly higher than in Hong Kong (even allowing for the fact that a number of Hong Kong residents patent their inventions through a foreign company), although it has to be said that it is only in a few countries where the number of domestic filings actually exceeds the number of applications filed by overseas applicants.

Developments in Hong Kong's industry sector

7.13.

Innovation, although always apparent in Hong Kong's manufacturing industries, has, in the past, been on a limited scale only. The main reasons for this are first, the small size and limited resources of the majority of local manufacturers (the average number of employees in manufacturing establishments in 1990 was 15 persons) and secondly, that local manufacturing is in the main of articles designed by and produced for overseas buyers, an arrangement known as "contract manufacturing" or "original equipment manufacturing (OEM)". Comprehensive information on the extent to which product research and development is practised by local manufacturers is not available. Some indication is shown by the Industry Department's figures for 1990. These show, for example, that between 75% and 80% of sales in the toy industry, which accounted for 2.2% of Hong Kong's domestic exports in 1990, derived from contract manufacturing.

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