Heads of European and Asian intellectual property offices will exchange information on IP protection with the World Intellectual Property Organisation and other leading IP organisations in a regional conference in Hong Kong today.

The conference is jointly organised by the Europe Patent Office and the Intellectual Property Department.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Legislative Council President Rita Fan said every region had its own challenges in IP protection and in particular, IP was vital to supporting economic development in Asia.

"Strong IP protection reduces investment risk and thus enhances investor confidence. Attracting investors to develop locally-based research and development as well as creative industries can help Asian economies create a more sustainable base for longer-term economic development," Mrs Fan said.

"This is one of the benefits of under-pinning our economic development with a strong IP protection regime.

Europe Patent Office President Dr Alain Pompidou said today's conference will provide a unique opportunity to share information on the latest developments in the European and Asian IP offices and trilateral partners (US, Europe and Japan), exchange views on the challenges that IP offices are facing and discuss how co-operation can help overcome these.

Entitled "Europe-Asia Heads of Intellectual Property Offices Conference", the two-day conference is being held at the Regal Hongkong Hotel today and tomorrow.

The conference is a continual regional co-operative event pursuant to the success of the Europe-Asia Heads of IP Offices Conference held in Singapore in 2003.