On 20 July, accompanied by Michael Ding, of CAO Hongying, Executive Vice President of China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment (CAEFI), met with WOO Wai-kwan, Assistant Commissioner (Intelligence and Investigation), CHIANG Yi-lee, Head of Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau, HUNG Hon-wing, Group Head of Intellectual Property Investigation (Operations), CHAN Kim-sau, Divisional Commander of Intellectual Property Intelligence and Licensing, and LIU Man-chun, Inspector of Intellectual Property Technology Crime Investigation Division of Customs and Excise Department.
CAO Hongying stated that strengthening IPR protection was of great significance for enhancing the confidence of foreign enterprises to invest in China, and this exchange was conducive to the effective protection of the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investment. CAEFI was willing to reflect the common demands formed in the exchange meeting to the relevant departments. WOO Wai-kwan said that Hong Kong had a unique advantage – relying on the motherland while facing the world. It had always been the vision of Hong Kong Customs to contribute the wisdom of HK Customs to telling good stories about China on the international stage. He suggested that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area would promote the integration of IP and hoped that both parties would continue to strengthen communication, give more voice on the international stage, and jointly tell good stories about China.
Afterwards, the delegation of HK Customs and 11 representatives of QBPC members had an exchange and interaction session, which was moderated by Michael Ding. He thanked HK Customs delegation for coming from afar and briefed the guests on the structure and main work of QBPC. He wished that both parties would take advantage of this exchange to continue to strengthen cooperation. He also looked forward to an early return visit to HK Customs and communication with relevant parties related to IP protection in Hong Kong.
WOO Wai-kwan expressed his hope to strengthen exchanges with QBPC to jointly promote the development of IP in Greater Bay Area. Regarding the focus of future work, he mentioned that HK Customs would play a role in promoting IP protection on the international stage through its leadership position in the World Customs Organization. Second, in the cooperation on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area's IP protection, he hope that the industry could work together to explore new business opportunities. Third, Hong Kong Customs would set up an enterprise platform for IP protection and interact with QBPC.
WOO Wai-kwan
Next, LIU Man-chun introduced the enforcement of HK Customs against IP infringement in terms of department positioning, law enforcement policy, and case sharing. HK Customs was the department responsible for combating IP infringement, and its portfolio mainly covered copyright infringement and counterfeit trademarks. Its law enforcement strategy included local law enforcement through inspecting local retail stores and storage warehouses, online law enforcement through systematic big-data analysis on online sales platforms , and border law enforcement of comprehensive surveillance of sea, land, and air border ports. The enforcement procedure consisted of five processes: receipt of complaints, contact for the record, follow-up investigation, criminal prosecution, and forfeiture of evidence. He then shared the law enforcement strategy and achievements of HK Customs in combating cross-boundary and online infringement.
LIU Man-chun
During the interactive session, QBPC members consulted and discussed specific cases with representatives of HK Customs, establishing a solid foundation for future exchanges.
