2021 Guangdong/Hong Kong Seminar on Intellectual Property and Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (Online) held

     The 2021 Guangdong/Hong Kong Seminar on Intellectual Property (IP) and Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) (Online) was held today (September 24), attracting an audience of around 210 SME representatives, IP practitioners and government officials from Guangdong and Hong Kong.

     The National 14th Five-Year Plan sets out the strategy to further consolidate China's lead on IP rights. The National 14th Five-Year Plan also, for the first time, supports Hong Kong to develop into a regional IP trading centre, demonstrating the importance the Central People's Government attaches to the development of IP protection and commercialisation in Hong Kong. Themed "The Development of Enterprises in the Greater Bay Area and IP Trading During the 14th Five-Year Plan Period", the seminar aimed to assist SMEs in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong in strengthening their IP protection and management capacity, encourage them to make use of Hong Kong's professional services in formulating effective IP strategies and leveraging the opportunities brought about by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area during the National 14th Five-Year Plan period, and enhance their competitiveness in the Mainland and international markets.

     At the online seminar, speakers made presentations and led discussions on various topics including IP court cases in the Mainland, protection and development of geographical indications in the Mainland, collaborative innovation and IP commercialisation.

     Being one of the key co-operation items under the framework of the Guangdong/Hong Kong Expert Group on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights, the seminar was jointly organised by the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation (Guangdong Intellectual Property Administration), and was co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong of the HKSAR Government. The event was also supported by other members of the Expert Group and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.

     Since 2004, Guangdong and Hong Kong have co-organised a number of activities in various cities to promote the importance of IP protection and exploitation among SMEs.

     Details of the webinar are available on IPD's website (www.ipd.gov.hk).