The "2015 Guangdong/Hong Kong Seminar on IP and the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) (Guangzhou)" was held in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, on June 4.

The seminar, entitled "Exploitation and Development Strategies of Intellectual Property", targeted Hong Kong SMEs and Mainland enterprises in Guangdong Province. It aimed to strengthen enterprises' awareness of IP protection as well as promote the use of IP to enhance their competitive advantages.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the seminar, the Deputy Director of Intellectual Property, SK Lee, said the seminar was an important co-operative item under the framework of the Guangdong/Hong Kong Expert Group on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights.

Lee said, "With the development of the global economy and rising market competition, businesses need to continue to innovate and upgrade themselves and to enhance the value and attractiveness of their products and services in order to retain their competitive edge. In the knowledge-based economy, IP rights have become valuable and tradable assets.

"SMEs account for over 98% of the business units of Hong Kong. Their ability to effectively protect and utilise IP rights for business development is especially important for the Hong Kong economy."

She added, "Under the Guangdong-Hong Kong co-operation in the field of IP, the IP authorities on both sides have been working together closely in organising various exchange programmes for enterprises in Guangdong and Hong Kong, promoting IP management and IP trading as well as exploring how IP trading can be used to help enterprises build their brands more effectively and to enhance their competitive advantages, thereby facilitating regional economic development and contributing to the promotion of IP trading."

The seminar, which brought together more than 100 SMEs' representatives and government officials from Guangdong and Hong Kong, was one of the key programmes of Guangdong-Hong Kong IP co-operation this year. The seminar was jointly organised by the Intellectual Property Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Guangdong Intellectual Property Office and the People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality; undertaken by the Intellectual Property Office of Guangzhou Municipality; and co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong of the HKSAR Government and the Intellectual Property Office of Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. The event was also supported by other members of the Guangdong/Hong Kong Expert Group on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.

Since 2004, Guangdong and Hong Kong have been working together to organise seminars to promote the importance of IP protection among SMEs. Similar seminars have been held in cities including Dongguan, Shaoguan, Shunde, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Zhanjiang, Zhuhai, Shantou, Zhongshan, Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Foshan, Qingyuan and Shanwei.