Hong Kong – IP Law Watch

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

Mar 20 2015

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. Read More

First Case of Suspected Copyright Infringement on Discussion Forum Detected by Hong Kong Customs Using New Monitoring System

Nov 18 2014

A man was arrested by Hong Kong Customs (Customs) for uploading a large amount of suspected infringing copyright works to the internet for financial gain. The automatic monitoring system, called Lineament Monitoring System 1 Plus (LMS1+), searches discussion forums, captures evidence related to selected messages and performs automatic downloads for further analysis. LMS1+ alerts Customs officers of suspected cases to conduct a more thorough investigation. Read More

Genuine Beauty Masks Mixed With Suspected Counterfeits in Hong Kong

Oct 16 2014

A seemingly endless variety of facial masks can now be found in Hong Kong, some containing ingredients like bird’s nest or the slime of a snail. Do not be surprised to see beauty products depicting a picture of a cheerful snail followed by a trail of slime on the packaging.

It has become routine for many to put on a facial mask at night in Hong Kong. Sadly, some merchants have decided to take unlawful advantage of the popularity of facial masks, albeit not necessarily containing the above ingredients or depicting a smiling snail. Read More

Suspected Fake Shoes Swooped in Hong Kong

Sep 18 2014

Acting on a complaint that fake sports shoes were sold in Mong Kok, a popular shopping district for trendy teens and tourists, Hong Kong Customs went into action and raided retail shops and warehouses.

Customs Officers seized suspected fakes, including 1,905 pairs of sports shoes, to a tune of HKD1.67 million. The suspected head of the fake goods syndicate along with six other people were arrested.

The arrests included a 16 year old and Customs has appealed to young people to be on guard against dodgy dealings when working in summer jobs. Read More

Watching Paid TV for Free?

Sep 16 2014

The drama craze and football fever had increased the popularity of set-top boxes, sold at the cost of a few hundred Hong Kong dollars and easy to use. Users can simply connect the box to a TV to enjoy television dramas, sports and even real-time broadcasts from different countries.

Problems arise when set-top boxes are jail broken by sellers, permitting access to unauthorized content. Users and sellers should beware of the potential copyright issues arising from such use. Read More

INTA Cocktail Party

May 13 2014

On the evening of Sunday 11 May 2014, representatives from various K&L Gates’ offices hosted approximately 250 clients and friends of the firm at a reception in Hong Kong during the International Trademark Association (INTA) annual conference. INTA’s annual conference is the most important intellectual property conference each year for IP professionals around the world. Read More

English Books Seized by Hong Kong Customs

Apr 07 2014

Following a tip off from the public, six suspects were arrested by Hong Kong Customs in April 2014 for allegedly selling fake English books.

Customs seized 500 books, three computers and 3 photocopiers worth up to HKD117,000 from a children’s learning institution, where the three directors and three receptionists were arrested. The suspected case of copyright infringement, involved selling infringing books as course materials at below half price of the genuine books. Read More

Hong Kong Considers Significant Changes to Parody Under Copyright Law

Mar 20 2014

In July 2013, the Hong Kong Government commenced a three month public consultation on three options to deal with parody under Hong Kong copyright law. One of the options was the introduction of a fair dealing exception for parody under Hong Kong copyright law, where the “distribution and communication of parody will not attract any civil or criminal liability if the qualifying conditions for exception are met.” Read More

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