Decade Old Official Fees set to Change for Trade Marks and Designs in Hong Kong

On 18 March 2015, the Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department (IPD) informed E-filers that, subject to the completion of legislative procedures, certain official fees for trade marks and designs will be revised from 30 March 2015. Official renewal fees for trade marks and designs will be slashed. The official filing fees for trade mark applications and searches will be hiked, to help the IPD recover its running costs.

In essence, the changes are summarized below:-

• There will be an increase in the application fee for trade mark registrations (including collective mark and a certification mark) by 54%, in particular:
  1. for the first class of goods or services, the fee will increase from HKD1,300 to HKD2,000
  2. for each additional class of goods or services, the fee will increase from HKD650 to HKD1,000.

• There will be a reduction in the renewal fee for trade mark registration by 11%, in particular:
  1. for the first class of goods or services, the fee will drop from HKD3,000 to HKD2,670
  2. for each additional class of goods or services, the fee will drop from HKD1,500 to HKD1,340.

• The service fee for preliminary advice/search of records on the Register of Trade Marks will double from the existing minimal fee of HKD200 to HKD400. Moreover, a new fee of HKD200 will be imposed for each additional class of goods/services.

• There will be no change in the application fee for design registration.
• There will be a reduction in the renewal fee for design registration by around 36%, in particular:
  1. for the first renewal (6-10 years), the fee will drop from HKD1,230 to HKD790
  2. for the second renewal (11-15 years), the fee will drop from HKD1,860 to HKD1,200
  3. for the third renewal (12-20 years), the fee will drop from HKD2,740 to HKD1,760
  4. for the fourth renewal (21-25 years), the fee will drop from HKD4,170 to HKD2,690.

The above official fees have not changed for over a decade. Despite the said increase, the application fee for a trade mark registration remains more competitive and attractive than those charged by similar overseas registries. With a view to continuing to incentivize creation, use and protection of intellectual property, the IPD aimed to set the official fees at a competitive and affordable rate.