HKIPD IP Ambassadors Visits CPA Hong Kong Office

In the afternoon of 27 July 2023, China Patent Agent (H.K.) Ltd. (CPA) received with great pleasure the visit of a dozen IP Ambassadors led by Ms. Li Ka Ki, assistant manager of Marketing Division of Intellectual Property Department of the Government of the HKSAR ("the IPD"), at its Hong Kong headquarters. The IP Ambassadors comprised students from the School of Law of City University of Hong Kong (the CityU), the Faculty of Law of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (the CUHK), and the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong (the HKU) participating in the IP Ambassadors Programme organised by the IPD and the said three law schools.

After a warm reception of the guests, CPA general manager Mr. Wu Yuhe provided a general introduction of CPA's history and personnel status, which was followed by deputy general manager Mr. Wang Jingchao's briefing on the IP services provided by our firm; moreover, our colleagues outlined the latest development in IP protection in mainland China, Hong Kong and other major countries/regions, as well as shared their experience as practitioners in the IP industry.

During the meeting, there has been earnest discussion between the IP Ambassadors and our colleagues on questions raised by the students. Among the issues discussed were: what roles can local law students play in China's development toward high quality IP protection and what preparations are needed for them to contribute to this cause; should they pay more attention to the study of common law or is it better to equip themselves with both common law and statutory law; what are the characteristics and development vision of the respective cities of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; and what challenges does the rapid development of technologies present to the legal industry. After the meeting, the guests were shown around the office areas of our firm.

The IP Ambassador Programme was launched by the IPD jointly with the CityU, the CUHK, and the HKU in 2016. Law students of these three universities participating in the programme will undergo a training course arranged by the IPD and are invited to engage in IP-related activities such as school visits, conferences, lectures, seminars, exchange programmes, and networking with IP practitioners.