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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, at the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on co-operation in the field of intellectual property (IP) between the Intellectual Property Department and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) today (January 29):
Commissioner Kim (Commissioner of KIPO of the Republic of Korea, Mr Kim Young-min), Consul-General Mr Cho (Consul-General of the Republic of Korea in Hong Kong, Mr Cho Yong-chun), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
It is our honour to have the Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, Mr Kim Young-min, visit Hong Kong. I would like to extend my warmest welcome to Commissioner Kim and his delegation. And I am very pleased to witness today the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on intellectual property co-operation between the Korean Intellectual Property Office and the Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department.
Hong Kong and Korea are ideal partners in the knowledge economy, where innovation is the driver for economic growth, and IP is the linchpin of innovation. We are both committed to nurturing and fostering creativity in technology and creative industries through the protection, promotion and commercialisation of IP rights.
There has been a surge in recent years in global and regional demand for IP, which offers huge opportunities for IP trading. The trend of use and creation of IP is shifting towards Asia, particularly in view of the rapid development in China. It requires effective international co-operation among policymakers, businesses and researchers to grasp the opportunities as well as rise up to challenges that come along.
The strengths of Hong Kong and Korea complement each other in creating IP rights and subsequently commercialising them to capture regional and global markets. Korea is a world leader in innovation, technology and creative industries, and KIPO is one of the five largest IP offices in the world. Hong Kong is an international business and financial centre and has long served as a strategic gateway between Mainland China and the rest of the world. With the business and IP communities of both places joining forces, they can multiply their strengths, ideas and opportunities.
Hong Kong has been actively promoting itself as a premier IP trading hub in the region. In 2013, the Working Group on IP Trading was set up to advise the Government on the overall strategies and specific measures to promote IP trading. The Working Group has promulgated a framework covering four strategic areas, namely enhancing the IP protection regime, supporting IP creation and exploitation, fostering IP intermediary services and manpower capacity, and pursuing promotion, education and external collaboration efforts.
The MOU to be signed today is a vivid example of how we actively pursue collaboration with parties around the world. It marks an important milestone in the co-operation between Hong Kong and Korea in the area of IP. With strong support from the governments and industry and business sectors of both places, I am confident that this collaboration would inspire more joint IP undertakings in future and drive the growth of IP trading in Hong Kong and Korea.
Once again, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Commissioner Kim and his colleagues for their full support to our co-operation. I also want to thank all of you for witnessing this important signing ceremony.
Ends/Thursday, January 29, 2015
Issued at HKT 16:03
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