Intellectual property officials from the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao gathered Thursday in Beijing to discuss how to further intellectual property cooperation.

In the city for a seminar on intellectual property rights protection, specialists are also expected to discuss how to promote technology innovation by protecting the intellectual property of small and medium-sized firms, said Li Yuguang, deputy-commissioner of State Intellectual Property Office.

This is the third mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Intellectual Property Symposium. The first one was held in 2000. The latest installment opened yesterday in Beijing.

Stephen Selby, director of the Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department, said intellectual property rights and economic development are closely linked in today's world.

That's why Hong Kong is ready to enhance cooperation with the mainland to protect those rights and stimulate economic development.

For his part, Tai Kin lp, deputy-director of Macao Economic Services, said the mainland has signed economic partnership agreements with Hong Kong and Macao respectively this year, making intellectual property protection more important since it is intertwined with global trade, trade services, finance and investment activities.

China has done a lot of work to revise patent, trademark and copyright laws, to further meet the requirements of the World Trade Organization.

The State Intellectual Property Office is studying the issue of patent protection for genetic modification technology, electronic commerce and computer software to keep up with the rapid development of information, biological and mobile communications technologies, according to Wen Xikai, an office official.

China has also revised its Trademark Law to improve protection. Under the revised law, all the trademark agencies, instead of only the designated agencies under State mandatory plan, can deal with registrations of foreign trademarks.

This is more convenient for foreign applicants, said An Qinghu, director of the Trademark Office of State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

(China Daily December 12, 2003)