Region: Hong Kong

The Trademarks Ordinance has been implemented today after a series of technical set-backs. The last hurdle was removed when the government amended Rule 13 of the Trademarks Rules implementing the ordinance. The rule's original draft, limiting the time to satisfy the registrar that a mark meets the registration requirements, was considered too rigid.

04 April 2003

The Intellectual Property Department of Hong Kong has launched an online trademark search system as part of an ongoing effort to extend the scope of e-government services. The service enables the public to conduct trademark searches on the Internet free of charge and with no restriction on search hours.

10 March 2003

The implementation of the new Trademarks Ordinance has been delayed. The set-back is due to a request by trademark law practitioners that the Legislative Council Panel on Commerce and Industry review the ordinance's rule that decisions by the Trademark Registry be appealed within nine months.

03 February 2003

The owner of the PANASONIC trademark has launched an extensive anti-counterfeiting campaign involving numerous raids against 15 parties in the PRC. A 'shadow' company, incorporated in Hong Kong, had adopted the famous mark as part of its company name and then began manufacturing and selling infringing goods.

09 December 2002

A new Trademarks Ordinance will modernize Hong Kong's trademark law in accordance with the latest international trends. The ordinance will offer enhanced protection to trademark owners and is expected to come into force in January 2003.

26 November 2002

In a case involving Japanese yogurt manufacturer Yakult Honsha andChinese manufacturer Yakudo Group, Hong Kong's High Court has issued a temporary injunction preventing Yakudo from producing or marketing lactic drinks in Hong Kong using YANG-LE-DUO, the Chinese equivalent of the trademark YAKULT.

19 November 2002

The Hong Kong Internet Registration Authority has taken control of administering the '.hk' domain from the Hong Kong Joint Universities Computer Centre. The organization is now the only registrar of the country-code top-level domain, but it expects to create a competitive environment over time.

16 May 2002

The Hong Kong Domain Name Registration Company Limited has taken over the role of administering '.hk' country code top-level domains and has implemented new, liberalized registration rules and a new dispute resolution policy.

11 September 2001