(BEIJING, May 31) -- Mr. Stephen Selby, director of Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department, paid a visit to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) on May 25, 2007 and exchanged views with BOCOG Legal Affairs Department on the joint efforts to protect the Olympic intellectual property rights in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Since Beijing won the rights to hold the 2008 Olympic Games and especially since the Olympic equestrian events moved to Hong Kong, Mr. Selby's department has done a lot to protect the Olympic IPR in Hong Kong. The department has seen it as its routine work and set up a unit to supervise and register cases of infringement of Olympic IPR in Hong Kong.

BOCOG has attached great importance to the Olympic IPR protection in Hong Kong and has maintained very good relations with Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department. As 2008 is drawing near, BOCOG will enhance cooperation with the department.

As a statutory body of HK SAR, the Intellectual Property Department is responsible for the registration, publicity and management of the IPR in Hong Kong. It also makes efforts to promote awareness of IPR among HK citizens. Mr. Selby has contributed greatly to the work.