Companies established in Hong Kong that enter into an intellectual property dispute can seek legal ways for solving problems concerning copyright, patents, trademarks and even domain names. The intellectual property law in Hong Kong provides coverage for a wide range of issues and entrepreneurs can take preliminary steps by registering their trademarks in order to minimize the chances of trademark infringement.
The team of experts at our law firm in Hong Kong is able to advise you about various issues concerning intellectual property and the manners in which you can solve them. Disputes can be taken to court or they can be settled through alternative dispute resolution methods like arbitration.
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Intellectual property rights infringement in Hong Kong
Owners of copyrights, trademarks and patents can take legal action if another party uses the same work as its own. Copyright owners can take civil action against a person or another company in Hong Kong that copies and distributes their work to the public under a different name.
Copyright infringement in Hong Kong is more common in computer software piracy, this does not refer to home use but to commercialising stolen software. The penalties for this include fines and even imprisonment.
The Customs and Excise Department in Hong Kong has power over the criminal aspects of copyright infringement in the city. Its powers are extensive and can refer to the investigation of a particular infringement case or to the confiscation of pirated materials.
Protection of intellectual property rights in Hong Kong
The first step for dealing with an intellectual property rights infringement case is to perform an investigation in order to determine who the infringer is and if/where he sold the pirated goods and for how long. A lawyer in Hong Kong can help you inform the infringer of your knowing of his actions and your intention to file a claim and even take the case to court.
If the infringer does not cease his activities, you can file a claim in court for intellectual property rights.
The intellectual property law covers all areas of intangible property rights. A number of ordinances cover specific areas, among which: the Copyright Ordinance, the Trade Marks Ordinance, the Patents Ordinance, the Registered Designs Ordinance and others.
For more information about intellectual property rights or legal assistance in an infringement case please contact our law firm in Hong Kong.