Hong Kong Signs MOU with WIPO to Enhance Global Intellectual Property Collaboration

Speech by FS at Signing Ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding between WIPO and HKSAR Government Concerning WIPO Lex-Judgments (with photos/video)

Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Signing Ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding between the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Concerning WIPO Lex-Judgments today (September 1):

Deputy Director-General Wang (Deputy Director General of WIPO, Ms Wang Binying), Justice Poon (Chief Judge of the High Court, Mr Justice Jeremy Poon), Director-General Zhou (Director-General of the Department of Treaty and Law, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR, Ms Zhou Qian), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this event, especially the distinguished delegation from the World Intellectual Property Organization led by Deputy Director General Wang.

Signing of MOU with WIPO

This morning, we gather to witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that marks the Hong Kong SAR's participation in the WIPO Lex-Judgments database. It is another milestone in our engagement with the global IP (intellectual property) community.

Since its launch in 2020, the WIPO Lex-Judgments database has provided free and open access to leading judicial decisions on IP from around the world. It now features more than 2,200 decisions from over 40 jurisdictions, and continues to grow in both scope and influence.

Access to important and precedent-setting cases is a valuable resource for judges, IP practitioners, policymakers and users across the IP ecosystem. It enables better understanding of complex, cross-border IP issues. It helps innovators and businesses navigate IP environments in other jurisdictions. And it strengthens judicial systems worldwide in keeping pace with the evolving landscape of IP law, particularly in the face of rapid technological advancements. Ultimately, it contributes to a more connected, transparent and coherent global IP framework.

Hong Kong's participation in WIPO Lex-Judgment database

China has been a contributor to this important database since its inception. Today, Hong Kong's participation carries special significance for a number of reasons.

First, it enhances Hong Kong's contribution to the international exchange of jurisprudence. Under the "one country, two systems" framework, Hong Kong is the only territory in China practising common law, and in both Chinese and English. Our Judiciary exercises powers independently, and is widely respected locally and internationally. Our protection of intellectual property is widely recognised. In fact, we rank sixth globally in IP rights protection in this year's IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook.

Indeed, as a trusted venue for resolving IP disputes involving parties from both the Mainland and abroad, our judgments often serve as valuable references to the international legal community.

Second, our participation further consolidates Hong Kong's position as a regional hub for IP trading and legal services. By enhancing the global transparency of our IP legal regime, we provide greater confidence to international businesses and rights holders to invest and pursue innovation activities here. They can count on our reliable, world-class legal infrastructure for the commercialisation and protection of their IP assets.

Third, Hong Kong's involvement in the database will foster deeper connections and collaboration with global counterparts in the IP field. It will enrich academic and legal research, encourage judicial dialogue, and help ensure that our jurisprudence remains at the forefront of global IP development.

Deepening collaboration with WIPO

Ladies and gentlemen, I am also pleased to note that our collaboration with WIPO is deepening in many other areas.

This afternoon, we will cohost the launch of the 2025 Global Innovation Index Ranking of the World’s Top 100 Innovation Clusters - an event jointly organised by WIPO and our country.

The back-to-back hosting of these two important events in Hong Kong is a strong testament to the Central Government's unwavering support for Hong Kong's development as a regional IP trading centre and a global innovation and technology hub.

We are also grateful to WIPO and the China National Intellectual Property Administration for their support in establishing a Technology and Innovation Support Centre in Hong Kong. This centre will empower our innovation and technology sector by helping businesses leverage the patent system, access high-quality IP data, and build capacity and networks, thereby further strengthening our innovation ecosystem.

Concluding remarks

Ladies and gentlemen, none of these achievements would have been possible without the steadfast support of WIPO and the Central People's Government.

Hong Kong remains firmly committed to playing an active role in international IP co-operation and contributing to China's vision of becoming a global IP powerhouse by 2035.

Before I close, I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Judiciary for upholding the rule of law and delivering judicial decisions of the highest standard.

Thank you very much.

Source: AI-found images

Speech by FS at Signing Ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding between WIPO and HKSAR Government Concerning WIPO Lex-Judgments (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by FS at Signing Ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding between WIPO and HKSAR Government Concerning WIPO Lex-Judgments (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Speech by FS at Signing Ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding between WIPO and HKSAR Government Concerning WIPO Lex-Judgments (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Source: AI-found images

HKSAR Government strongly condemns BBC for unfounded report on Lai Chee-ying's health condition

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government yesterday (January 1) strongly condemned the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for the deliberate unfounded report on Lai Chee-ying's health condition in an attempt to fabricate facts to mislead the public by intentionally portraying Lai Chee-ying as a victim, with the aim of covering up his numerous wrongdoings and his conviction by the court.

Court's conviction verdict was entirely free from any political considerations

A spokesperson for the HKSAR Government said, "The court's reasons for verdict in Lai Chee-ying's case are 855 pages long, which are fully open for public inspection, and include the court's analysis of the relevant legal principles and evidence, as well as the reasons for convicting Lai Chee-ying and the three defendant companies in full detail. The court clearly pointed out in the reasons for verdict that Lai Chee-ying was not on trial for his political views or beliefs. The court's conviction verdict is well-founded and reasoned, fully demonstrating that the court has made its decision on the case strictly in accordance with the law and evidence, free from any interference, and absolutely free of any political considerations.

"The court clearly pointed out that Lai Chee-ying's only intent, whether pre or post Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL), was to seek the downfall of the Communist Party of China, even though the ultimate cost was the sacrifice of the interests of the people of the People's Republic of China and the HKSAR. Also, the court found that Lai Chee-ying was the mastermind of the conspiracies charged in all three counts, and his actions show his deliberate intent to pursue these conspiracies, which constituted a threat and harm to the national security in the PRC and the HKSAR."

The spokesperson stressed, "Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law and has always adhered to the principle that laws must be obeyed and lawbreakers be held accountable. Article 5 of the HKNSL and section 2 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance clearly stipulate that the principle of the rule of law shall be adhered to in preventing, suppressing and imposing punishment for offences endangering national security. Any suggestion that certain individuals or organisations should be immune from legal consequences for their illegal acts is no different from advocating a special privilege to break the law, and this totally runs contrary to the spirit of the rule of law."

Lai Chee-ying's health has been properly cared for

The spokesperson said, "The claims regarding Lai Chee-ying's health condition as reported by the BBC are false and extremely misleading. The HKSAR Government has pointed out time and again that the Correctional Services Department (CSD) handles the custodial arrangements for Lai Chee-ying in the same way as other persons-in-custody (PICs). The CSD attaches great importance to the safety and health of PICs. Regardless of the identities, ages and nationalities of PICs, the CSD is committed to ensuring that the custodial environment is secure, safe, humane, appropriate and healthy, which includes appropriate and timely medical support.

"The medical services received by Lai Chee-ying in custody are adequate and comprehensive. All correctional institutions have hospitals or sick bays staffed 24 hours a day by Medical Officers seconded from the Department of Health (DH) and correctional staff with professional nursing qualifications. Medical specialists from the Hospital Authority (HA) and the DH will visit correctional institutions on a regular basis to provide PICs with specialist consultation and treatment, including dental treatment. If PICs have dental health issues, the Medical Officer of the institution will refer them to dental specialists. In serious cases, PICs will be transferred immediately to a public hospital for treatment.

"During the public court hearing in August 2025, the senior counsel representing Lai Chee-ying clearly presented to the court that Lai Chee-ying had all along been receiving appropriate treatment and care in prison. The correctional institutions had been arranging daily medical checkups for Lai Chee-ying and that there had been no complaints at all regarding the medical services he was receiving, and the Court also commended the CSD. Moreover, on the day the court handed down its verdict on December 15, 2025, the senior counsel representing Lai Chee-ying stated, when responding to questions from the media, that everyone in the court could see clearly Lai Chee-ying's health condition.

"The CSD provided dental treatment for Lai Chee-ying in 2021 and 2022 based on his needs. Since then, Lai Chee-ying has had no dental health problems nor made any further requests for dental treatment. Separately, in 2025, Lai Chee-ying notified the CSD of problems with his nails, but he has since fully recovered after treatment with ointment prescribed by the Medical Officer of the institution, with no nail loss as alleged in the media reports. In August 2025, before the public hearing, the CSD arranged for Lai Chee-ying to wear a cardiac monitoring device and prescribed heart medication for his claimed heart palpitations, to be used as needed. Since then and up till the present moment, Lai Chee-ying has made no further complaints about his heart palpitations to the CSD. It must be stressed that the allegations made by Lai Chee-ying's daughter and relevant media reports, including those by the BBC, are completely baseless."

The spokesperson pointed out, "Certain individuals with ulterior motives, including Lai Chee-ying's family members and certain media, have ignored these facts and continue to spread lies and engage in despicable acts. Recently, Lai Chee-ying's daughter has repeatedly attempted to maliciously smear the HKSAR Government and the CSD, misleading the public to believing that Lai Chee-ying's detention and medical arrangements are poor. Their malicious intentions are obvious. The HKSAR Government strongly opposes and condemns such acts."

Source: AI-found images