IP Registration in Macao (Republish)

Just ran across an article Filing for Industrial Property Protection in Macau, China.  I thought it is very informative about Macao and its IP laws.

Here is what it has to say about Macao:

Macao is a small territory set on the southern coast of China, located not far from Hong Kong. It was colonized by the Portuguese in the 1500’s and became the first European settlement in the Far East. Macao’s treaty stipulated the territory would return to Chinese control. Therefore, on December 20, 1999, it changed [its] names [sic] to the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China.

The agreement that returned the region to China also stipulated it would remain under a “one country, two systems” formula. Consequently, the Chinese socialist economic system will not be practiced in Macau and great autonomy will exist, save for decisions on foreign relations and defense affairs for the next 50 years. The area is set on several islands about a sixth the size of Washington, DC, USA. Yet, tiny Macau is currently undergoing one of the greatest casino-building booms the world has ever seen.

The author, Kelly O’Connell’s description is brief yet accurate.

Then the article talks about the IP laws of Macao:

Intellectual Property rights (IPR’s) protection in Macau is administered completely separate from the People’s Republic of China. The administration is handled through the Intellectual Property Department of the Economic Services Bureau (DES) of the MSAR Government, charged with handling all IP matters in the territory. IP protection is legislated in the Industrial Property Code of Macau and the territory is also a member of the WTO and party to most WIPO conventions. All applications for protections of IP rights must be submitted in one of the official languages: Portuguese or Chinese.

The subject matter is covered by the Industrial Property Code Decree-Law Nº 97/99/M of 13 December 1999 (IP Code). The following questions will be answered to help explain the IP application process: What Subjects May Be Protected Under the Industrial Property law?; Who May File for Industrial Property Protection, what is the Fee and Where it is Published?; How is Priority Established? How are Application Inspections Conducted? On What Grounds Are Applications Rejected and What about Rectification.

Pretty good stuff, and it surely educated me.  To find out the answers to these important questions, read on here.