ENG-2004 — Page 173

Commerce and Industry 139

among stakeholders in the PRD Region, the department cooperated with the Guangdong provincial intellectual property authorities to launch the 'no fakes' campaign in four cities. Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shantou and Dongguan in Guangdong Province. The department and the Guangdong Intellectual Property Office also jointly developed a television advertisement promoting the campaign, which has been shown in Hong Kong and Guangdong province since December 21.

In 2004, the department carried its secondary school visits programme into the eighth year with the aim of promoting respect for intellectual property rights among the younger generation. During the year, this programme covered 48 secondary and primary schools and 18 458 students. The department commissioned an annual public survey in November to compare changing public attitudes towards intellectual property over the years and to assess the effectiveness of its promotion and public education programmes. The survey results have shown that public understanding of intellectual property rights has been improving. The first annual survey measuring the awareness of intellectual property in the business community was conducted in February. The results of the survey provided useful insights for strengthening government efforts in promoting intellectual property rights among the business

sector.

Following the Sixth Guangdong/Hong Kong Joint Conference on August 5, 2003, the Guangdong/Hong Kong Expert Group on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights was set up to enhance cooperation between the two places for the protection of intellectual property rights. The third Expert Group Meeting was held in Hong Kong on December 21.

Participation in International Organisations

The Intellectual Property Department continued to participate in the activities of the WTO Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Representatives of the department also attended conferences at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), including the meeting of the Assemblies of the Member States, and the conferences held by various committees, such as the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights. In March, the department and WIPO co-organised the '2004 WIPO Regional Symposium on Copyright in Libraries and Educational Institutions in the Digital Era' in Hong Kong. The department also represented Hong Kong, China at other international and regional intellectual property symposia and conferences, including the 18th meeting of the APEC Intellectual Property Experts Group held in Beijing in April and the 19th meeting held in Phuket, Thailand, in August.

Services Promotion

The Government has organised publicity activities such as the 'Soar Over Hong Kong' scheme, 'Quality Customer Service Programme for Small and Medium Enterprises' and other projects to promote better community understanding of Hong Kong's services economy and awareness of the importance of quality service.