Hong Kong and Australia sign MOU on co-operation in field of intellectual property

     The Intellectual Property Department (IPD) announced today (March 26) that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with IP Australia to strengthen mutual co-operation in the field of intellectual property (IP).

     Under the MOU, Hong Kong and Australia would pursue co-operation in a wide range of areas including exchange of information in different aspects of IP protection and commercialisation and capacity building in patent examination; sharing of experience in the operation of the international trade mark registration system, promotion of dispute resolution to resolve IP disputes and development of information technology systems for management of examination and grant of IP rights.

     The Director of Intellectual Property, Mr David Wong, said, "I am confident that this collaborative initiative would inspire and bring about more joint IP undertakings in future. As Hong Kong will soon roll out the "original grant patent" system and we are also taking steps to implement the Madrid Protocol in the coming years, IP Australia's rich experience in conducting substantive patent examination and establishing an international trade mark registration system under the Madrid Protocol would be invaluable to us. The signing of the MOU will strengthen the working relationship and foster the collaboration between us and IP Australia in various areas of common interest."

     The IPD has been taking a wide range of measures to promote IP commercialisation and IP trading in Hong Kong, and to enhance Hong Kong's position as an IP trading hub in the Asia-Pacific region. The IPD has also been sparing no efforts in enhancing the IP regime of Hong Kong to meet its socio-economic needs.

     Recognising the important role of IP in promoting creativity and technological innovation and driving economic growth, Hong Kong and Australia both have robust IP protection regimes and comprehensive measures to support IP utilisation. As Hong Kong and Australia are both members of the IP Rights Experts Group of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the IPD and IP Australia have a long history of collaboration on the patent and trade mark fronts. The MOU consolidates the foundation for such co-operation between the two places and takes such co-operation to new heights.