China granted 1.26m applications for patents last year, making it the most prolific state in the world. Meanwhile, the examination standards for would-be patent lawyers seem to have changed. A few years ago, only a small per cent age of applicants passed from Hong Kong. Now, however, the pass rate is more than 50. Lewis Luk, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Patent Attorneys said: 'In the past, only a handful of our local patent lawyers passed the practical test on the mainland, but now it’s getting easier. I think they are really short of people, in light of the booming IP demand.'  

Double protection

The Institute also believes that people seeking patents in Hong Kong probably also need patent protection in China. There are likely to be discussions about how the two territories can relate better to each other on IP. Source: South China Morning Post