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A seminar targeting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Guangdong Province was held in Zhuhai today (April 3) to strengthen the exchange on intellectual property matters between Guangdong and Hong Kong.
The "2007 Guangdong/Hong Kong Seminar on Intellectual Property and the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (Zhuhai)" was organised by the Intellectual Property Department of the HKSAR Government, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Guangdong Provincial Intellectual Property Office and the Municipal Government of Zhuhai. It was co-organised and supported by the Science and Technology Bureau of Zhuhai, the Intellectual Property Office of Zhuhai, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong and Zhuhai China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (Zhuhai Sub-Council).
In a speech, the Director of Intellectual Property, Mr Stephen Selby, said the seminar was a concerted effort by Hong Kong and Guangdong to promote intellectual property protection. The seminar, with about 300 participants from various industries and governments of the two places, provided a platform for SMEs of Guangdong and Hong Kong to keep abreast of the development of intellectual property in the region.
"The seminar in Zhuhai is intended to show SMEs in the region how intellectual property can be used as a tool for wealth creation. It is also to showcase how the Hong Kong intellectual property professional services can help promote the development of the enterprises, and exchange views on how enterprises can protect their intellectual property in both Hong Kong and the Mainland under their separate IP laws and regulations," Mr Selby said.
Mr Selby said that Zhuhai was not only the logistics hub in the Pearl River Delta region, it was also one of the first Special Economic Zones in China. Its favorable conditions had made a vibrant growth in economy possible.
"Electronics and telecommunications, household electrical appliances, petrochemicals, supply of electricity and energy, biomedicines, and manufacturing of precision machines are the six main pillar industries of Zhuhai. By strengthening the concepts of protection and application of intellectual property in these businesses, such as registering their intellectual property in both places and using brand names to promote their products, these SMEs can effectively build up their corporate image and substantially increase their competitiveness and create more business opportunities."
Since 2004, Guangdong and Hong Kong have been working together in organising seminars to promote intellectual property protection among SMEs. Similar seminars have been held successfully in Dongguan, Shaoguan, Shunde, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhanjiang.
For details of the seminar in Zhuhai, please visit the IPD's website at www.ipd.gov.hk.
Ends/Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:01
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