Legislative amendments have been made to facilitate electronic service delivery for patent and design registrations and simplify procedures.

The amendments will be tabled at the Legislative Council on March 17 and, subject to approval, come into operation on May 7.

The amendments together with the Intellectual Property Department's developed computer system will enable online searches of patent and design registers, electronic filing and processing of applications, and electronic publication of patents and designs.

E-services to be available later this year

These electronic services will be made available in stages this year. However, the option to file applications on paper will still be maintained as long as there remains a significant demand for the paper service.

The current amendments will also simplify certain procedures for filing documents with the Registrar (Director of Intellectual Property).

For instance, once the amendments are in force, an applicant for design registration will no longer have to attach six additional copies of the representation of the design to their application.

Fees substantially reduced

The fees payable for registration of patents and designs and other related services will be substantially reduced to reflect the reduction in the department's operating costs arising from automation and streamlining of procedures.

The legislative amendments - the Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2001 (Commencement) Notice 2004, the Patents (General) (Amendment) Rules 2004, the Registered Designs (Amendment) Rules 2004 and the Trade Marks (Amendment) Rules 2004 - were gazetted today.