118 Commerce and Industry
Trade Marks
In 2011, the Trade Marks Registry received 32 559 applications. During the period, 24 122 marks were registered, an increase of 4.7 per cent as compared with 2010. Out of the total of 107 countries/areas filing applications, the principal places
were:
Hong Kong, China Mainland of China
11 703
United Kingdom
710
6 728
Switzerland
657
US
3 497
Japan
2 541
Taiwan, province of China Germany
649
621
France
829
British Virgin Islands
529
The register had a total of 276 139 registered marks by the end of the year.
Patents
The Patents Ordinance provides for the grant of standard patents based on patents granted by the State Intellectual Property Office of China, the United Kingdom Patent Office or the European Patent Office (in respect of patents designating the United Kingdom). It also provides for the grant of short-term patents, which may be registered following local formality examination procedures. In 2011, the Patents Registry received 13 493 standard patent applications and 615 short-term patent applications. During the year, 5 050 standard patents and 517 short-term patents were granted.
Registered Designs
In 2011, the Designs Registry received 2 353 applications for the registration of 4 839 designs. During the year, 4 478 designs were registered.
Copyright
The Copyright Ordinance provides protection for literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, typographical arrangements of published editions, sound recordings, films, broadcasts, cable programmes and performers' performances irrespective of the domicile of the copyright owners. In line with international practice, there is no requirement to register copyright.
The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2011 was introduced into the Legislative Council in June. The bill mainly seeks to strengthen copyright protection in the digital environment. The main legislative proposals include introducing a right of communication covering all modes of electronic transmission for copyright works, establishing a statutory safe harbour for online service providers, introducing a copyright exception for temporary reproduction of copyright works by online service providers, introducing a copyright exception for copying sound recordings for private and domestic use, and prescribing additional factors to assist the court in determining the award of additional damages in civil proceedings.
Enforcement
The Customs and Excise Department is responsible for enforcing criminal sanctions to protect intellectual property rights. It investigates reports of copyright infringement and trade mark counterfeiting; maintains licensing control on all optical
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