Copyright protection: Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Frederick Ma tours the Intellectual Property Department Open Day.

Hong Kong should protect and manage intellectual capital to maintain its competitiveness in the globalised environment, Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Frederick Ma says.

Officiating at the fifth Intellectual Property Department Open Day today Mr Ma said the Hong Kong Creativity - Intellectual Property in Hong Kong exhibition held in Geneva last year underscored Hong Kong's achievements in guarding intellectual property and projected the creative industry's positive image on the international stage.

The Intellectual Property Department offers web-based electronic registration of trademarks, patents and designs. Fifty-eight per cent of trademark registration applications were filed online last year.

At today's ceremony, Mr Ma and Director of Intellectual Property Stephen Selby presented awards to 20 e-Filers with the highest volume of e-transactions and e-applications last year.