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Hong Kong looks to expand as a regional IP trading and services hub
The plan leans on Hong Kong’s WTO-linked IP framework and enforcement track record, including protection for patents, trademarks, designs, copyright, trade secrets, plant varieties, and integrated-circuit layouts.
Hong Kong is positioning itself to deepen its role as a regional intellectual property trading and services center, with the effort highlighted since 2021 in China’s five-year plans and the policy addresses of Hong Kong leaders.
The case for expansion rests on several advantages, including that major international IP agreements apply to Hong Kong through China or its World Trade Organization membership, along with an IP regime described as backed by enforcement.
The piece also points to Hong Kong’s Customs and Excise Department, citing its role in the World Customs Organization, particularly across the Asia-Pacific since 2000.
It says Hong Kong protects seven major forms of IP, including patents, trademarks, designs, copyright, trade secrets, plant varieties, and integrated-circuit layout designs, and frames IP as an economic asset that can be traded, licensed, financed, and commercialized.