ENG-1969 — Page 107

INDUSTRY AND TRADE

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mark, even if already registered in the United Kingdom or any other country, must satisfy all the requirements of the Hong Kong Trade Marks Ordinance before it may be accepted for registration. During the year 2,756 applications were received and 1,627 (including many made in previous years) were accepted and allowed to proceed to advertisement. A total of 1,560 marks were registered, the principal countries of origin being:

Hong Kong

474

United States of America 367

Switzerland Australia

Japan

244

Italy

United Kingdom

192

France

...

West Germany

- 64

The Netherlands

...

55

29

24

21

14

The total number of marks on the register at December 31, 1969 was 23,628.

Hong Kong law does not provide for the original grant of patents, but the grantee of a United Kingdom patent may, within five years from the date of its issue, apply to have it registered in Hong Kong under the Registration of United Kingdom Patents Ordinance. Registration confers the same rights as though the patent had been issued in the United Kingdom with an extension to Hong Kong. A total of 474 patents were registered during the year, compared with 376 in 1968.

COMPANIES

The Companies Registry keeps records of all companies in- corporated in Hong Kong and also of all foreign corporations which have established a place of business in the Colony. Local companies are incorporated under the Companies Ordinance, which is based on the (now superseded) Companies Act 1929 of Great Britain. However, the Companies Law Revision Committee, which was reconstituted in 1968, is actively considering the relevant legislation with a view to recommending revision thereof.

On incorporation a company pays a registration fee of $100 plus $2 for every $1,000 of nominal capital. In 1969, 2,546 new com- panies were incorporated, 871 more than the total incorporated in 1968. The nominal capital of new companies registered during 1969 totalled $1,150,588,800, 113 per cent more than the corresponding