Today, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on cooperation related to the WIPO Case Law Database. The signing ceremony was presided over and witnessed by Mr. Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR.
Established by WIPO, the database is freely accessible to users worldwide. Its core objective is to provide global access to key judicial decisions on intellectual property (IP) cases from jurisdictions across the globe.
Under the terms of the MoU, Hong Kong’s judiciary will include representative local IP precedents in the database. This initiative will not only enable the international IP community to reference Hong Kong’s relevant judicial practices but also showcase to the world Hong Kong’s professional standards in the field of IP justice.
In addition to Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, the signing ceremony was also attended and witnessed by Ms. Wang Binying, Deputy Director General of WIPO, and Mr. Andrew Cheung Kui-nung, Chief Justice of the Hong Kong High Court. Mr. Victor Wong Fuk-loi, Commissioner of the HKSAR Intellectual Property Department, and Mr. Marco Alemán, Assistant Director General of WIPO, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective sides.
This cooperation also aligns with the policy direction outlined by the Chief Executive in the 2024 Policy Address—with the support of the Central Government, Hong Kong will actively participate in the development of this international database.
In his speech, Mr. Paul Chan emphasized that Hong Kong’s inclusion in the WIPO Case Law Database carries special significance. He noted that under the principle of "One Country, Two Systems," Hong Kong is the only common law jurisdiction within China, and it also boasts a bilingual (Chinese and English) legal environment. Its standards of IP protection have won wide international recognition.
Mr. Chan stressed that Hong Kong has become a key judicial jurisdiction for handling cross-border IP disputes, particularly cases involving parties from the Chinese mainland and overseas. Its judgments provide valuable references for the international legal community.
He further pointed out that this cooperation will not only enhance Hong Kong’s role in international precedent exchange but also further consolidate its position as a hub for IP trading and legal services in the Asia-Pacific region.
By improving the international transparency of its IP system, Hong Kong can offer a more favorable environment for innovation and investment to global enterprises and right holders. This will enable them to leverage Hong Kong’s well-established legal infrastructure to effectively protect and commercialize their IP assets.
In closing, Mr. Paul Chan expressed gratitude to the Central People’s Government and WIPO for their long-term support for Hong Kong’s IP work. He reaffirmed that Hong Kong will continue to commit itself to deepening international IP cooperation, contributing to China’s goal of becoming a world leader in IP by 2035.
