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Hong Kong should protect and manage intellectual capital to maintain its competitiveness in the globalised environment, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Frederick Ma, said today (March 4).
The Intellectual Property Department (IPD) held its fifth Open Day today, the theme of which was Intellectual Capital Management (ICM).
ICM is a set of tools which allows enterprises to tap into reservoirs of knowledge and expertise that they already possess but may not be exploiting effectively. It also helps them to appreciate competitive pressures from outside economies and identify their needs to obtain improved knowledge and expertise.
Addressing invited guests and stakeholders in the intellectual property (IP) industry, Mr Ma said, "To maintain our competitiveness in the globalised environment, we are not working only to protect our intellectual capital, but also to manage it."
Mr Ma also endorsed IPD's efforts in promoting the concept of ICM in the business community over the years.
Promoting the awareness of intellectual property rights is another area of excellence for IPD.
Mr Ma noted that in promoting intellectual property rights, IPD had been making efforts to reach out to our friends on the Mainland and overseas. A case in point was the "Hong Kong Creativity - Intellectual Property in Hong Kong, China" exhibition held in Geneva last year.
"The exhibition was hosted by the Government of the People's Republic of China and World Intellectual Property Organisation, and co-organised by IPD to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's reunification with the Mainland. The event underscored Hong Kong's achievements in guarding intellectual property and helped project positive images about our creative industry on the international stage."
The Top e-Filers' Awards presentation ceremony was the highlight of the IPD Open Day. In line with the government's Digital 21 strategy, IPD has put a lot of effort into promoting its e-services. The computer systems for registration of trademarks, patents and designs are now fully automated; and web-based search, filing, publication and payment are now available around the clock. In 2007, 58% of applications for registration of trademarks were filed online. In addition, 38% of standard patents and 42% of designs were filed electronically. The figures show that the e-Filing system is a popular service among filers.
In recognition of e-filers' active support and participation in using IPD's electronic services, 15 awards were presented to top e-Filers having the highest volume of e-transactions between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2007. Another five awards were presented to those who had the highest volume of e-applications in 2007. The awards were presented by Mr Ma and the Director of Intellectual Property, Mr Stephen Selby.
About 260 guests participated in today's Open Day. They included the major stakeholders in the IP industry (the legal community and related IP associations), academics, guests from Guangdong Province, consulate staff and representatives from the public sector.
Ends/Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Issued at HKT 19:00
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