Government Response to
the Concerns Raised by
Design : Hong Kong

Clause/Topic

Concerns raised

Government Response

The Bill

Grey area exists between the Registered Designs Bill and the Copyright Bill.

We are considering amendments to the Copyright Bill to remove copyright protection for registered designs and to cut down the term of copyright protection for registrable but unregistered designs to 15 years, in effect preserving the position under the present law.

Clause 27:

formality examination

Concern that the formality examination requirement for the registration of a design will restrict creativity.

Formality examination for registration of a design is an international trend, e.g. EU and China.

General

Suggest that an edited and simplified version be produced as a guideline for the industry.

A user-friendly information brochure on the registered designs system will be prepared for distribution to the public once the Bill is enacted.