PART IV
TRADE MARKS REGISTRY
Explanatory
95. The Trade Marks Ordinance 1954 is based on the United Kingdom Trade Marks Act 1938. The Register consists of two parts, Part A for distinctive marks, and Part B for marks which are not registrable in Part A but are capable of distinguishing the goods of the applicant and have been used in Hong Kong for not less than two years. Registration in Part A gives full rights of protection, in Part B modified rights. Registrations are valid for seven years, but may be renewed indefinitely for further periods of fourteen years. Defensive and certification trade marks may be registered, and a person other than the proprietor of a mark may be registered as a registered user. The procedure and forms to be used are set forth in the Trade Marks Rules 1954.
Applications and Registrations
96. For the third year in succession the number of applications topped the 2,000 mark, but there was again a falling off in the number received, the total of 2,054 being 82 lower than in the preceding year. Of these applications, 2,039 were for registration in Part A of the Register, and 15 for registration in Part B. While there was an increase of 126 in the number of applications accepted, the number of marks registered remained virtually stationary at 1,544, comprising 1,489 registrations in Part A and 55 in Part B.
97. Table XVI gives the number of marks registered in each of the thirty-four scheduled classes, and Table XVII shows the countries of origin of the applications for the 1,544 marks registered. In each case the previous year's figures are included for comparison. The only class showing a notable increase over the 1964-65 figure was Class 9 (scientific instruments, etc.) up 57 to 122; while substantial decreases were seen in Classes 24 (tissues (piece goods), etc.) down 39 to 64, and 25 (clothing, etc.) down 81 to 133. The seven countries from which most applications were received were Hong Kong (403), the United States of America (331), West Germany (235), the United Kingdom (222), Japan (123), France (55) and Switzerland (44). The United Kingdom, which was third in last year's placings, has dropped to fourth position (down 39), and France, which was ninth last year, has jumped to sixth position replacing Australia, which has dropped to ninth place. There
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