Hong Kong's registered designs law is currently dependent on the UK registered designs law. If a registered design is registered in the UK in accordance with the UK Registered Designs Act 1949 (as amended), the registered design is automatically protected in Hong Kong under the United Kingdom Designs (Protection) Ordinance (Cap. 44) enacted in Hong Kong in 1928. No additional procedure is required in Hong Kong. The registered design remains in force in Hong Kong as long as it remains in force in the UK.

The Ordinance repeals the United Kingdom Designs (Protection) Ordinance and establishes an independent Designs Registry in Hong Kong. The following may be entered in the Register:
  • particulars of design registrations;
  • particulars as to transactions, instruments or events (such as assignments and mortgages but excluding any trusts) affecting rights in or under registered designs and applications for registration; and
  • other matters relating to registered designs such as renewal of registration.

The Register will be open to public inspection except for designs relevant to defence purposes.

Further information on the above may be obtained via Linklaters & Paines Hong Kong office or via any of the other nine Linklaters & Paines offices world-wide, located in Singapore, Tokyo, London, Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, New York, Washington D.C. and Moscow. Contact details for the various L&P offices worldwide are available via the Linklaters & Paines corporate listing c/o Business Monitor Online - http://www.businessmonitor.co.uk

c Linklaters & Paines 1997 - Tel +852 2842 4888