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)