Trend of intellectual property discussed at forum in Hong Kong

The 6th Business of Intellectual Property (IP) Asia Forum opened in Hong Kong Thursday, with experts and professionals from different places to discuss the latest development of IP and its future trend.

Themed as "IP in the Innovation Era," the forum was jointly organized by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), and the Hong Kong Design Center.

The two-day forum comprises three plenary sessions, which will analyze the opportunities and effects arising from China's blueprint for development over the next five years.

Speaking at the opening of the forum, Deputy Director of World Intellectual Property Organization Wang Binying mentioned that in 2015, about 2.9 million patent applications were lodged by innovators around the world, up 7.8 percent from 2014.

China's patent office received over a million applications for the first time within a single year in 2015, which include filings from residents in China and from overseas innovators seeking patent protection inside China, she said.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said the enormous global and regional demand for IP, and its continuing shift to the Chinese mainland offer huge opportunities for Hong Kong, which, Leung said, can be a launching pad to tap into the IP market in the Chinese mainland and throughout Asia.

Leung emphasized that Hong Kong, with the combined advantages of the principle of "one country, two systems," acts as a "super-connector," bringing business from other countries and from the rest of China together, which is much the same with IP.

Executive Director of HKTDC Margaret Fong said IP has become more and more important for companies worldwide in the innovation and technology-driven world.

The forum gathers leading players from all sides of the IP equation, including policymakers, innovators, and brand leaders, to shed more lights on the key trends of IP. Endit