Hong Kong government is working on a package of legislative
amendments to improve the Copyright Ordinance, the Secretary for
Commerce, Industry and Technology Joseph WP Wong said Tuesday.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Intellectual Property
Department (IPD) Open Days, Wong said in formulating legislative
proposals to strengthen Hong Kong's intellectual property (IP)
regime, the government will strike the right balance between
providing effective protection for the rights of copyright owners
and the legitimate uses of copyright works by the public.
In order to provide a robust IP protection regime, the
government will continue to take vigorous enforcement action
against piracy and counterfeiting activities, and in the meantime,
to increase the awareness of and respect for IP rights in the
community, Wong said.
The theme of the Open Days is "Intellectual Property and
Education" which run from Tuesday to Thursday for invited
guests.
At the opening ceremony, 20 e-filers were awarded "Top e-Filers"
plaques in recognition of their high volume in electronic
filing.
Since IPD first rolled out its electronic services in 2003,
theuse of e-filing for trademark applications has reached 62
percent.
IPD's system can now provide web-based electronic searches of
the register, electronic filing of applications for registration,
electronic publication for applications for registration, as well
as real-time renewal of trademarks and patents and changes of a
registrant's names.
(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2006)