Guangdong-Hong Kong IPR Protection Cooperation Taskforce held the 11th session in Hong Kong on July 19, 2012. The taskforce agreed to continuously deepen and promote IPR cooperation and development in Guangdong and Hong Kong with the view of enhancing economic strength, indigenous innovative ability and international competitiveness of the two regions.

During the period from 2012 to 2013, the taskforce will continue to boost up IPR trade between Guangdong and Hong Kong, hold IPR symposium and communication activities for enterprises in both sides, encourage enterprises with the investment of Guangdong and Hong Kong to apply for Guangdong Famous Trademarks and develop IPR special activities for law enforcers from the two places.

At the meeting, the representatives from both sides respectively reported the latest news on IPR cooperation in the two places and summed up the finished projects, inclusive of Guangdong-Hong Kong IPR and SME Development Seminar, impelling IPR trade development between Guangdong and Hong Kong, supporting the recognition of Guangdong Famous Trademark in Guangdong- and Hong Kong-invested enterprises and organizing IPR-related non-governmental bodies to exchange views about their projects.

Besides, IPR law enforcement authorities in the two places continued to closely cooperate with each other and made notable achievements in the construction of IPR-related case ordination mechanism.

According to Zhang Jinhui, Chief of Intellectual Property Department of Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, with the efforts of Guangdong and Hong Kong, all the projects last year came to a full stop, particularly the development of IPR trade.

Director of Guangdong Provincial Intellectual Property Office Tao Kaiyuan expressed that during the period from 2012 to 2013, the two sides would better current mechanism and worked out a series of new cooperation plans inclusive of enhancing exchange and cooperation on trademark construction, holding communication activities for law enforcers from Guangdong and Hong Kong and conducting exchange activities on combating cross-border online infringement.

The taskforce was set up after the 6th Guangdong-Hong Kong Cooperation Joint Meeting in August 2003, aiming to reinforce IPR communication and cooperation in various areas in Guangdong and Hong Kong, covering education, training, law enforcement, study and information release.

(Source: IPR in China)