SINCE Hong Kong is a counterfeiter's paradise I'd like to know how to register a trademark in Hong Kong and what protection this would afford me. The first step is to file an application at the Trade Mark Registry. The Trade Mark Registry will examine thespecification of goods and services relating to the mark. After approving the specification, the registry examines whether the mark can be registered and issues a report approving or rejecting registration.
The registration of a trademark may be rejected because: It is laudatory of the goods or services to which it relates; It refers to the nature or character of the goods or services.
It is a geographical name or a surname.
If the Trade Mark Registry rejects the mark, it is possible to seek registration another way. The applicant must prove the mark has obtained distinctiveness through use for at least five years, with supporting documentation accompanying a statutory declaration.
On registration, the applicant becomes the mark's registered owner. Other parties using the same or similar mark infringe the registered owner's registration rights.
If the registered owner takes legal action against an infringer, he or she must prove his/her rights were breached. Source: Robertson Double Solicitors My dentist broke off an adjacent tooth during a difficult wisdom tooth extraction. When I asked for compensation, assuming he would be insured, he claimed he was not insured for this. To what extent are doctors and dentists in Hong Kong required to carryinsurance in the form of Professional Indemnity as is the case in the US? In Hong Kong, dentists and doctors are only required to be registered with the Dental and Medical Council. They are not required to hold a current professional indemnity insurance policy.
