(Kyodo) _ Government officials from Japan and Hong Kong will meet Friday to discuss a Japanese request that the Chinese territory enhance protection of intellectual property rights, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Wednesday.
Tokyo believes Hong Kong needs to undertake more relief measures for companies suffering from unauthorized use and registration of corporate or brand names, after it investigated the IPR protection system there based on a request from an association of Japanese electronics manufacturers.
In Hong Kong, registration of corporate names similar to those of famous Japanese home appliance makers like Hitachi Ltd. and Sanyo Electric Co. is allowed, and such confusing names are often used for products manufactured and sold in mainland China, according to the Japanese government's study.
The Japanese government has also learned that in Hong Kong, companies can register one corporate name quite similar to another unless it is absolutely the same.
Even if complaints are filed and a plaintiff wins the lawsuit, a court judgment cannot nullify the nearly identical name.
The upcoming talks will be a venue for Japan to file a request to a counterparty country or territory to improve IPR protection for the first time since Tokyo launched its study of IPR breaches overseas in April.
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