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Hong Kong and Guangdong authorities today (April 7) jointly held a seminar in Zhongshan for Hong Kong-based small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and Mainland enterprises in Guangdong Province to strengthen their awareness of intellectual property (IP) rights protection and sharpen their competitive edge.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Assistant Director of Intellectual Property, Ms Pancy Fung, said the seminar brought together more than 300 SME representatives and government officials from Guangdong and Hong Kong, and served as a platform for the SMEs to keep abreast of the latest IP development in the region.
The "2009 Guangdong/Hong Kong Seminar on Intellectual Property and the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (Zhongshan)" was one of the programmes of Guangdong/Hong Kong IP co-operation this year. It was organised by the Intellectual Property Department of the HKSAR Government, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Intellectual Property Office of Guangdong Province and the Municipal Government of Zhongshan, and co-organised and supported by the Intellectual Property Office of Zhongshan, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong, the Zhongshan Modern Service Association and the Zhongshan Productivity Promotion Centre.
"We are honoured to have the Deputy Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), Mr Li Yuguang, delivering a keynote speech on the implementation of the National IP Strategy. It shows that SIPO attaches great importance to Guangdong/Hong Kong IP co-operation," Ms Fung said.
"The seminar is intended to show SMEs in the region how they can use IP as a tool for wealth creation. We will showcase how the Hong Kong IP professional services can help enterprises develop their business and facilitate their exposure to the international community, as well as exchange views on how enterprises can protect their IP rights under the different legal systems of Hong Kong and the Mainland."
Ms Fung pointed out that Zhongshan, with its proximity to Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, was an important economic and cultural hub connecting the eastern and western coasts of the Pearl River, western Guangdong as well as the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region. The Zhongshan port was also the only inland river port ranked one of the top 10 ports in the country for its cargo tonnage.
"With an ideal geographical location, Zhongshan has attracted many engineering and technology centres to set up offices in the city. The rapid-growing high-technology and equipment manufacturing industries not only enhance capacity for the autonomous innovation of Zhongshan, but also contribute to its vigorous economic development.
"By strengthening the concepts of IP protection and application, such as registration of IP in both Hong Kong and the Mainland and using brand names in product promotion, SMEs in Zhongshan can effectively build their corporate image and substantially increase their competitiveness and create more business opportunities," Ms Fung said.
Since 2004, Guangdong and Hong Kong have been working together organising seminars to promote IP protection among SMEs. Similar seminars have been held successfully in cities like Dongguan, Shaoguan, Shunde, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Zhanjiang, Zhuhai and Shantou.
Details of the seminar are available on the Intellectual Property Department website (www.ipd.gov.hk).
Ends/Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Issued at HKT 16:00
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