First ever IP survey of businesses published

The IP Department (IPD) of the Hong Kong government has published the results of the first ever survey of business attitudes towards intellectual property. Of 2,400 businesses contacted, 1,204 responded.

The main objectives of the survey were to:

• examine the level of awareness of businesses in relation to the protection of IP rights;
  
  
• determine the level of sophistication of businesses regarding the use of intellectual property as an asset for business development; and
  
  
• evaluate the effect of the IPD's promotion of IP rights to the business sector.

Some of the more interesting results of the survey included the following:

• 73% of respondents thought the "situation of IP rights infringement" in Hong Kong was quite serious.
  
  
• 55% of respondents thought the protection of IP rights needed to be improved.
  
  
• 87% of respondents thought the most effective way to reduce infringement of IP rights in Hong Kong was to lower the price of the genuine goods. Over half of the respondents also saw a need to raise awareness of IP rights protection, increase enforcement action and increase penalties.
  
  
• 59% of respondents thought the government was most responsible for IP rights infringement, while about 15% thought consumers and another 15% thought IP rights owners were responsible.
  
  
• 87% of businesses that responded had not registered trademarks, designs or patents, and only 10% had staff specifically responsible for managing intellectual property.

Sandra Gibbons, Lloyd Wise & Co, Hong Kong