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The Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO), Berlin, of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr Stephen Kai-wong, attended a business seminar in Prague, the Czech Republic, yesterday (November 24, Prague time) to promote the creative industry and intellectual property rights protection in Hong Kong.
"The creative industry is one of the six industries crucial to Hong Kong's economic development, as announced by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR in his 2009ˇV2010 Policy Address," Mr Wong said. "The creative industry adds value to Hong Kong's GDP of more than six billion euros annually, about 4% of the GDP, with 32,000 creative industry-related establishments and more than 170,000 practitioners in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a regional design centre renowned for product, graphic, digital entertainment, interior, fashion and jewellery design. It is also a leading expert in architectural design.
"In the film sector, for example, Hong Kong is an excellent location for filming as well as post-production, given its rich pool of creative professionals. In addition, the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) between Hong Kong and the Mainland of China fosters collaborations and joint productions between Hong Kong and the Mainland of China. Not only does CEPA benefit film companies in Hong Kong and the Mainland of China but it also fosters partnerships between Hong Kong and foreign film companies. This is because CEPA is nationality-neutral and Czech companies can also benefit from it," said Mr Wong.
Creativity and its protection are inseparable. "Trade marks, patents, designs and copyright etc are all well protected by the updated legislative framework of Hong Kong, which is consistent with international standards. Added to effective enforcement mechanisms and world-class professional services, Hong Kong is a leader in Asia in intellectual property rights protection," Mr Wong said.
This makes Hong Kong the ideal place for creativity, research and innovation, while production can be done outside Hong Kong such as the Mainland of China. "This is a prefect match, as Hong Kong is also the gateway to the Chinese market," he added.
After the business seminar in Prague, Mr Wong will go to Budapest on November 26 to brief the Hungarian business community on Hong Kongˇ¦s creative industry and its protection.
The HKETO, Berlin, is the official HKSAR Government representative in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in the Czech Republic and Hungary and six other central and eastern European countries. It can be reached at:
Friedrichstrasse 50, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Tel: +49 (0) 30 22 66 77 22 8
Fax: +49 (0) 30 22 66 77 2 88
Website: www.hketoberlin.gov.hk
Email: cee@hketoberlin.gov.hk
Ends/Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:21
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