An Original Grant Patent System And Other Changes Recommended

Keywords: patent system, Hong Kong, re-registration, standard patents,

On 7 February 2013, just two days before the Chinese New Year holidays, the Government published the Report of the Advisory Committee on Review of the Patent System in Hong Kong ("Committee"). As part of the review, a public consultation paper was issued in October 2011 to invite views on whether an original grant patent (OGP) system should be introduced in Hong Kong; whether the current re-registration system for standard patents should be maintained and if so, whether it should be expanded to recognise patents granted by offices other than the European Patent Office, the United Kingdom Patent Office and the PRC Patent Office; whether the short-term patent system should be retained and improved; and whether patent agency services should be regulated and how. (Please see the attached article, 'Is patent reform in Hong Kong on the horizon', also by Kenny Wong, published in the June 2012 issue