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The "2012 Guangdong/Hong Kong Seminar on Intellectual Property (IP) and the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (Foshan)" was held in Foshan today (June 5).
The seminar, entitled "IP Trading and Capitalisation", targeted Hong Kong small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and Mainland enterprises in Guangdong Province. It aimed to strengthen enterprises' awareness of intellectual property rights protection and to promote the utilisation of IP trading in order to sharpen their competitive edge.
Speaking at the seminar's opening ceremony, the Deputy Director of Intellectual Property, Ms Ada Leung, said the seminar served as a platform for the SMEs to keep abreast of the latest IP developments in the region.
"When facing the world market, not only should enterprises protect their IP, but they should also utilise IP trading to enhance their competitive edge and create wealth," Ms Leung said.
"The seminar is intended to introduce the latest developments of IP systems in Hong Kong and the Mainland as well as the professional IP services in Hong Kong. By learning the importance of IP management and the concept of IP trading, the SMEs in the region should be able to use IP trading to build up their corporate image, enhance their competitiveness and create value for more business opportunities," she added.
The seminar, which brought together about 200 SME representatives and government officials from Guangdong and Hong Kong, was one of the key programmes in Guangdong-Hong Kong IP co-operation this year. It was jointly organised by the Intellectual Property Department of the HKSAR Government, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Guangdong Intellectual Property Office and the People's Government of Foshan Municipality, undertaken by the Foshan Municipal Intellectual Property Office, and co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong of the HKSAR Government. The event was also supported by other members of the Guangdong/Hong Kong Expert Group on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.
Since 2004, Guangdong and Hong Kong have been working together to organise seminars promoting IP protection among SMEs. Similar seminars have been held successfully in cities such as Dongguan, Shaoguan, Shunde, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Zhanjiang, Zhuhai, Shantou, Zhongshan, Guangzhou and Zhaoqing.
Details of the seminar in Foshan are available on the Intellectual Property Department's website www.ipd.gov.hk.
Ends/Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:42
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