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In the fast-paced and competitive business landscape of Hong Kong, startups and small to medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”) have to be at the cutting edge of innovation. However, with the growing societal awareness over the importance of protecting intellectual property rights and trade secrets, it is paramount that such rights and trade secrets are recognized and
In the dynamic and fast-paced business ecosystem of Hong Kong, startups and SMEs are key players, employing over 1.2 million people, which equates to about 45% of the private sector workforce as of 2021. Establishing comprehensive employment agreements and policies is crucial for these businesses to ensure legal compliance and foster harmonious employment relationships. This
Hong Kong’s thriving startup ecosystem has led to increased opportunities for early-stage companies to secure funding. One of the most common sources of funding for early-stage startups is angel investors, who can provide the necessary financial support and industry expertise to help startups flourish. Angel investors differ from later-stage equity investors in several key aspects. They typically possess a higher risk
To start the New Year of the Rabbit right, it is a good idea to review your registered trade marks. Just like a health check-up, an annual trade mark portfolio review will give you confidence and clarity on what you need to work on. You may find this checklist useful from our Intellectual Property Consultant Benjamin Choi.
88% of Hong Kong population is using social media, and this number is growing every minute. It is no surprise that social media has become a lucrative business. Social media influencers (“Influencers”) or key opinion leaders (“KOLs”) are popular and powerful – they create tight bonds with their followers and have the ability to influence
The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2022 was gazetted last Friday after the 3-month public consultation. A very aligned view of IP practitioners and stakeholders is to have the new Copyright provisions enacted as law without any further delay. The key 5 legislative proposals are: 1. To introduce an exclusive technology-neutral communication right for copyright owners in light
Starting a new business adventure means managing multiple exciting activities simultaneously: product development, marketing, sales, etc. With so many things to get done, legal aspects usually tend to take a back seat. Many founders consider legal advice a luxury, assuming that their bootstrapped startups cannot afford it. Unfortunately, this leads to all sorts of legal
The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong just released on 24 November 2021 a public consultation paper on updating Hong Kong’s copyright regime. This is brilliant news to copyright owners and fingers crossed with the passage of the new legislation! If you may wonder the meaning behind, the current Copyright Ordinance
Hong Kong has gone from having minimal regulation of cryptocurrencies to where the government now plans to outlaw retail crypto trading and investing. Currently there is no specific legislation aimed at restricting cryptocurrencies in Hong Kong but the SFC regulates anyone involved in trading of cryptocurrencies that fall within the SFO definition of either “securities”
We are frequently asked by our startup clients whether or not written contracts are strictly necessary, particularly during the early stages when their business may not be much more than a great idea about a product or a service. We are aware that founders frequently jump into building their businesses without any written contracts but