HKPC and Intellectual Property Office of Singapore Join Hands to Set Benchmark for IP Management in Asia Pacific

The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) today (1 September 2005) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) to collaborate on the development of an Intellectual Property Management Protocol (IPMP) to assess the IP management readiness of companies in the Asia Pacific region.

The signing ceremony, held concurrently with the opening of the 3rd Europe Asia Patent Information Conference at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, was officiated by Ms Liew Woon Yin, Director-General of IPOS, and Mr K K Yeung, Executive Director of HKPC, in the presence of Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs of Singapore.

Under the agreement, the two parties will jointly develop an IPMP for IP audit based on their existing IP audit models - the "Innovation Knowledge Enterprise Assessment and Award Scheme" and the "Strategies for the Creation, Ownership, Protection and Exploitation of IP" (SCOPE IP) launched by HKPC and IPOS respectively.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr Yeung said, "Under this agreement, HKPC and IPOS will jointly develop a mutually recognized system of IP audit, which we hope will eventually serve as a benchmark for the entire Asia Pacific region."

"The criteria of a regionally recognized IP audit model will serve as guidelines for Asian enterprises on IP management and protection, helping them guard against IP rights violation and ensure fair reward for their original designs and products. This is especially important at a time when businesses in the region are putting increasing emphasis on creativity and innovation in a determined strategy for industrial upgrading. This system is also crucial for the region to stay competitive in its quest for a bigger share in the highly competitive outsourcing market," he added.

Under the IPMP programme, a set of common criteria for IP audit will be developed. To be adopted by both HKPC and IPOS as their respective IP audit model, the IPMP will consist of a main module and other sub-modules. The former will be used for the general audit for all companies, while the latter will be customized for different industry sectors. The first sub-module will be designed for companies in the manufacturing sector.

With these common criteria, a pilot audit programme for companies in Hong Kong and Singapore will be conducted. This will be followed by an award presentation ceremony to recognize enterprises that have successfully demonstrated a high standard of compliance and capabilities in IP management.

For further information on HKPC's "Innovation Knowledge Enterprise Assessment and Award Scheme", please contact Mr T W Liu at tel. (852) 2788 5957, fax: (852) 2788 6045 or e-mail: twliu@hkpc.org.

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1 September 2005