Speech by SCS at the World Intellectual Property Organisation Asian Regional Workshop on Intellectual Property and Public Administration

Following is the speech by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Joseph W P Wong, at the World Intellectual Property Organisation Asian Regional Workshop on Intellectual Property and Public Administration (December 12):

I wish to thank the World Intellectual Property Organisation, the Intellectual Property Department and the Civil Service Training and Development Institute for inviting me to open this Asian Regional Workshop on Intellectual Property and Public Administration.

Importance of IP

The importance of Intellectual Property (IP) in the modern world cannot be underestimated.  It is the very foundation stone upon which the "Knowledge Economy" of tomorrow is being built.

Hong Kong, China has been quick off the mark in recognising that the development of good intellectual property laws is crucial to its future development.  In 1990, we decided that a proper focus should be given to this subject with the creation of the Intellectual Property Department.

Spreading the Message

The Government's task is not confined to simply creating new intellectual property laws and enforcing them.  Although such matters are paramount in the public eye,  Government's role is wider and involves the spreading of knowledge about intellectual property issues within its own civil service so that public servants can understand how to ensure that our economy can benefit from proper protection of the public intellectual patrimony.

For example, if a government signs a large contract with a foreign firm for the design of a major construction project, it should be in a position to ensure that the public shares the fruits of any design innovations arising from the contract, rather than the foreign contractor keeping all the benefits for themselves.  Another situation that can arise is that the government signs a construction contract, but the contractor goes bankrupt. If the contract did not specify that the government has all the intellectual property rights to the designs developed by the contractor, there may be a problem when it comes to taking over the contract and assigning it to another contractor to complete the project.

Government as a Role Model

Government must show the public that it also takes the protection of IP rights in its own backyard seriously.  How can we expect the public to take the fight against copyright piracy seriously if the government regularly gets caught out using copyright works without permission? So, for example, Government cannot use material in any shows or exhibitions it runs which infringes the intellectual property rights of others.  We cannot afford to cut corners and must go that extra mile in ensuring that we have a proper respect for intellectual property rights.

Even individual civil servants have a role to play. What sort of commitment to avoiding counterfeit goods will the public have if senior civil servants and their families are regularly seen wearing fake clothing and accessories.

The Future

I mentioned at the outset of this speech the "knowledge economy".  In the past, intellectual property was a very low-profile subject.  It was rarely taught in universities or professional law courses.  Relatively few law firms specialised in the subject.

All that has changed now.  Many modern industries (e.g. computer, movies, biotechnology) are founded on intellectual property.  Some of the most hotly-debated subjects, such as the fight against HIV/AIDS in the developing world, centre around discussions of patent protection. Civil servants nowadays have to add a knowledge of intellectual property to their armoury of professional skills in developing public policy. The public service cannot afford to be left behind in acquiring a knowledge of this important subject. 

I'm sure that this Regional Workshop will play an important role in the dissemination of such knowledge.  Thank you.

Wednesday, December 12, 2001