Survey shows awareness of intellectual property rights protection remains high
The Intellectual Property Department (IPD) announced today (March 31) the results of the Survey on Public Awareness of Intellectual Property (IP) Right Protection 2024, which showed that the general public maintained a high level of awareness of IP rights protection.
A total of 1 002 members of the public responded to the survey. Over 90 per cent of them were aware that copyright, trade marks and patents are protected by dedicated ordinances in Hong Kong, maintaining the high level recorded in the 2022 survey results.
The Director of Intellectual Property, Mr David Wong, said, "The IP system has always been an important driving force for innovation and creativity. The survey results, which show that the awareness of IP rights protection remains high among the general public, notably the widespread public recognition of statutory protection of copyright, trade marks and patents, are encouraging."
Similar to the results of the last survey, this survey showed that over 60 per cent of the respondents were of the view that with Hong Kong being a regional IP trading centre, the protection of IP rights could facilitate the development of local arts, culture and creative industries as well as local innovation and technology, promote IP-related professional services in Hong Kong, attract foreign investment and strengthen the competitiveness of Hong Kong.
With regard to the use of copyright works in the digital environment, over 80 per cent of the respondents did not browse or use infringing content from unauthorised websites or mobile apps in the past year. The major reasons cited were "worry about getting infected by computer virus/being hacked by hackers/leaking personal information on illegal websites" (28.6 per cent), "better quality assurance from authorised websites/mobile apps" (17.7 per cent) and "comply with IP laws" (15.7 per cent).
The survey also showed that 90 per cent of the respondents had seldom or never bought pirated or counterfeit goods in the past year. The major reasons cited were "quality of genuine goods is guaranteed (38.8 per cent)", "no need to buy or not interested in pirated or counterfeit goods" (36.9 per cent), and "respect and support IP rights/support genuine goods/immoral or wrong to infringe IP rights" (16.9 per cent).
In terms of the attitude towards IP rights protection, over 80 per cent of the respondents agreed that "it is morally wrong to browse or use the content on unauthorised websites or mobile apps knowing that it is an infringement of IP rights" (83.0 per cent), and that "it is morally wrong to buy pirated or counterfeit goods knowing that it is an infringement of IP rights" (85.9 per cent). Both percentages are similar to the results of the last survey, indicating that the respondents maintain a very positive attitude towards IP rights protection.
"Public education is crucial in promoting IP rights protection. The Government will continue to enhance public awareness of protecting and respecting IP rights, especially among the younger generation, through various educational and promotional activities," Mr Wong said.
To encourage the purchase of genuine goods, the "No Fakes Pledge" Scheme has been rolled out by the IPD alongside a number of retail and industry associations. "No Fakes" logos are displayed to help distinguish merchants that sell genuine goods. The survey revealed that 77.6 per cent of the respondents had heard of the Scheme, among which, most (75.0 per cent) considered the Scheme helpful in building confidence among consumers and tourists to shop in Hong Kong, and strengthening Hong Kong's reputation as a "shopping paradise".
Similar surveys have been commissioned by the IPD regularly since 1999, with the previous round conducted in 2022. The report of the latest survey is available on the IPD's website.
An unseasonably mild December
With the northeast monsoon over southern China generally weaker than normal for most of the time in the month, December 2025 was much warmer than usual in Hong Kong. The monthly mean maximum temperature of 22.4 degrees, monthly mean temperature of 20.2 degrees and monthly mean minimum temperature of 18.4 degrees were 2.0 degrees, 2.0 degrees and 2.2 degrees above their corresponding normals, and all of them were the second highest on record for December. This was also the first time that no Cold Weather Warning was in force in November and December in a year since the Cold Weather Warning System commenced operation in 1999. The month was also drier than usual with a total rainfall of 6.5 millimetres, only about 23 per cent of the normal of 28.8 millimetres. The annual total rainfall of 2 558.7 millimetres was about 5 per cent above the annual normal of 2 431.2 millimetres.
With a band of clouds covering the coast of Guangdong, the weather of Hong Kong was mainly cloudy with one or two rain patches on the first four days of the month. Under the influence of a dry northeast monsoon, the weather turned generally fine and dry on December 5 and remained so on the following four days. With the return of a cloud band, it turned mainly cloudy with one or two rain patches on December 10 and the next morning. It turned generally fine during the day on December 11 as the clouds thinned out. With plenty of sunshine, the maximum temperature at the Observatory rose to 26.0 degrees that afternoon, the highest of the month. A fresh to strong easterly airstream affected the coast of Guangdong the next day. Locally, the weather remained mainly fine and dry.
A cold front moved across the coast of Guangdong on the late afternoon of December 13. Under the influence of its associated strong northeast monsoon, winds strengthened from the north and temperatures fell progressively. It was rather cool on the mornings of the next two days. Additionally, while one or two rain patches occurred on December 13 under the influence of a broad band of clouds, the weather turned generally fine on the night of December 14 under the influence of a dry northeast monsoon and remained so on the next three days. It was also very dry on December 14 and 15, with the relative humidity over most parts of the territory staying around 30 to 40 per cent during the day. With the return of a broad band of clouds, the weather became cloudier with one or two rain patches later on December 18 and the next day. As the cloud band thinned out, the weather turned generally fine and dry during the day on December 20.
Under the influence of a fresh to strong northeast monsoon, it was windier on the following two days. While it was fine and dry on December 21, the weather turned mainly cloudy on December 22 due to the approach of a cloud band and remained so on the following four days. While there were one or two rain patches on the morning of December 25, with a replenishment of the northeast monsoon reaching the coast of Guangdong that morning, the local weather became dry and cool that day. It remained dry with rather cool mornings on the following two days, with the temperature at the Observatory falling to a minimum of 13.8 degrees on the morning of December 27, the lowest of the month. Under the influence of the dry northeast monsoon, the local weather turned mainly fine from December 27 to 29. With the moderation of the northeast monsoon, winds subsided on December 30, with visibility falling below 5 000 metres over parts of the territory that morning. An easterly airstream brought cloudier weather on the last day of the month.
Three tropical cyclones occurred over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific in December 2025.
Details of issuance and cancellation of various warnings/signals in the month are summarised in Table 1. Monthly meteorological figures and departures from normal for December are tabulated in Table 2.
Source: AI-found images
