Around 200 business representatives and government officials from Guangdong and Hong Kong attended the "2018 Guangdong/Hong Kong Seminar on Intellectual Property (IP) and the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) (Foshan)" in Foshan, Guangdong Province, today (June 21).
The seminar, themed "IP Protection and Exploitation: Facilitating the Development of Innovation in the Bay Area", was targeted at Hong Kong SMEs and Mainland enterprises in Guangdong Province. It aimed to assist enterprises to develop effective IP protection and exploitation (including commercialisation) strategies so as to better capitalise on the opportunities offered by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, promote the development of innovation and enhance the international competitiveness of the enterprises.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the seminar, the Deputy Director of Intellectual Property, Ms Maria Ng, said that the seminar was one of the key co-operation items under the framework of the Guangdong/Hong Kong Expert Group on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights.
Ms Ng said, "The theme of the seminar 'IP Protection and Exploitation: Facilitating the Development of Innovation in the Bay Area' dovetails with the current development needs. Through complementary co-operation and for the benefit of all parties, we could collaborate with Foshan and other cities in the city cluster of the Bay Area, with a view to assisting enterprises to grasp the unprecedented opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Bay Area."
During the seminar, Ms Ng introduced the latest works of the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) in supporting SMEs to harness the business opportunities brought about by IP trading through effective IP protection and exploitation.
The seminar was jointly organised by the IPD of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Guangdong Intellectual Property Office and the People's Government of Foshan Municipality; undertaken by the Intellectual Property Office of Foshan Municipality; and 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, the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.
Since 2004, Guangdong and Hong Kong have been working together to organise seminars regularly to promote the importance of IP protection and management among SMEs. Similar seminars were held in cities including Dongguan, Shaoguan, Shunde, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Zhanjiang, Zhuhai, Shantou, Zhongshan, Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Qingyuan, Shanwei and Shenzhen. This is the second time the seminar has been held in Foshan by the Guangdong and Hong Kong authorities.
Details of the seminar in Foshan are available on the IPD's website (www.ipd.gov.hk).
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