You probably have heard of intellectual property, or IP in short, and may wonder how it may help you as an innovator making intangible things, doing research and development work or building business goodwill.
If so, this is the place for you to start an exciting journey to make the most of your creativity.
IP refers to creations of the mind. In broad terms, it includes inventions, brand names, industrial designs, and original works in the literary, artistic and scientific fields. IP are intangible assets that can be protected by law. Learn more about the types of IP.
Registration is required to obtain statutory protection of inventions, trademarks and industrial designs in Hong Kong. Learn more about the registration matters administered by the Intellectual Property Department (IPD).
On the other hand, works meeting specific legal requirements are automatically protected by copyright without the need for registration. Likewise no registration is required for the protection of layout-designs of integrated circuits, trade secrets, certain unregistered trade marks, etc.
With legal protection, IP becomes a valuable asset that can be managed effectively to tap its full economic value. Learn more here.
With effective management of the IP portfolio and appropriate strategy, owners can exploit their exclusive IP assets by trading and commercializing IP in the market through means such as selling, buying and licensing. Learn more here.
IPD offers dedicated support services to assist enterprises to manage and trade IP -
For creating IP, there are other Government funding support, too.
