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Promotion and Education > No Fakes Pledge
No Fakes Pledge 
As Asia's World City, Hong Kong is committed to the protection of intellectual property. With the goal of enhancing consumer confidence in Hong Kong, and to strengthen the City's reputation as a "Shopping Paradise" for genuine products, the Intellectual Property Department has launched the "No Fakes" Pledge Scheme.
The Scheme is established in 1998. The issuing bodies of the "No Fakes" Pledge Scheme are the Hong Kong & Kowloon Electrical Appliances Merchants' Association Limited, the Hong Kong Coalition for Intellectual Property Rights of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Hongkong General Chamber of Pharmacy Limited, the Hong Kong Jewellers' & Goldsmiths¡¯ Association, the Hong Kong Record Merchants Association Ltd., the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, the Chamber of Hong Kong Computer Industry, and The Kowloon Pearls, Precious Stones, Jade, Gold and Silver Ornament Merchants Association. The "No Fakes" Pledge not only aims to promote a sense of pride among traders who do not deal in counterfeit and pirated goods; it also aims to enhance awareness of intellectual property protection among retailers and consumers alike.
The "No Fakes" Pledge campaign encourages participating retail merchants to set a good example by pledging not to sell or distribut e counterfeit or pirated products, thus establishing and upholding honest and trustworthy trading practices. With the help of strong marketing and growing participation, this campaign, will further distinguish honest and reliable retail merchants, thereby gaining the confidence and trust of consumers.
In 2004, Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department cooperated with Guangdong Intellectual Property Office to launch the "No Fakes" Pledge in Guangdong Province. Participating cities include Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Shantou, Zhuhai, Jiangmen, Huizhou, Zhangjiang and the Pledge will be gradually extended to other cities in Guangdong Province.
All participating retail merchants of the "No Fakes" Pledge Scheme have committed not to sell or deal in counterfeit or pirated goods and to sell only genuine goods. All retail merchants participating in the "No Fakes Pledge" Scheme will post the "No Fakes" stickers and tent cards in their shops. With the "No Fakes" logo, tourists and consumers can easily identify reliable retailers and shop with confidence.
10th Anniversary of the 'No Fakes Pledge' Scheme |
List of Participating Retailers in 2008
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Aim of the Pledge
- To encourage a sense of pride among traders who do not deal in counterfeit and pirated goods
- To help promote consumer awareness of intellectual property protection in Hong Kong
- To sustain the confidence of consumers and tourists and strengthen Hong Kong's reputation as a "Shoppers' Paradise"
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Benefits For Members Companies
- Be able to distinguish themselves from dishonest traders
- Be able to gain the confidence of consumers
- Be able to enhance their image as trustworthy traders
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Code of Ethics
Member companies are expected to:
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Refrain from selling or dealing in counterfeit and pirated goods;
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Impose discipline in protecting intellectual property rights among company management and staffs
- Allow Customs officers to visit their premises during trading hours for the purpose of monitoring compliance
- Comply with the code of ethics agreement set out by the issuing bodies or supporting organisations
Note
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If the issuing body and the co-ordinator have reason to believe that the member has failed to comply with the code of ethics specified above , or if any action is taken against such member by Customs , the issuing body may terminate the ¡®No Fakes Pledge¡¯ membership of the suspected member . . Where any of the above grounds of termination occurs, the member concerned will be asked to return the stickers and tent cards that were issued to them.
- Before making a decision to terminate the membership of a member pursuant to Note 1 above, a written notice will be served on the member informing them of the intended termination of its membership and the reasons. The member will be required to return a completed reply slip within two working days (i.e. excluding Sunday s and public holidays), indicating whether it intends to attend a hearing to at which the member concerned may give his views on the matter.
- If the member indicates that it does not intend to attend a hearing or if the reply slip is not completed and returned within 2 working days (i.e. excluding Sundays and public holidays), the membership of the member concerned will be immediately terminated. If the member indicates that it intends to attend a hearing, the hearing shall be held within two working days (i.e. excluding Sundays and public holidays) upon the receipt of the reply slip by the issuing body.
- At any time before the hearing, the member concerned may submit any written representations for consideration by the hearing panel , irrespective of whether the member concerned intends to attend the hearing, provided that such written representations shall reach the hearing panel prior to the time scheduled for the hearing.
- Upon considering all the submissions of the member concerned, whether at the hearing or otherwise, the hearing panel shall exercise its absolute discretion as to whether to terminate the membership of the member or not. The member shall be notified in writing of the decision of the hearing panel as soon as possible after the hearing. Any decision reached by the hearing panel shall be final and binding upon the member concerned.
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The ¡®No Fakes Pledge¡¯ membership of a member shall terminate automatically and immediately in the event that such member ceases to be a member of the issuing body concerned. A member may withdraw from the ¡®No Fakes Pledge¡¯ Scheme at any time by giving the issuing body concerned a written notice to that effect.
- Upon the termination or withdrawal of the ¡®No Fakes Pledge¡¯ membership for any reason, the member shall immediately cease using the ¡®No Fakes¡¯ stickers and tent cards and shall return all such stickers and tent cards to the issuing body concerned, the co-ordinator or Customs immediately; failing which the co-ordinator (with assistance from Customs officers) shall be entitled to remove and take away all ¡®No Fakes¡¯ stickers and tents cards from the premises of the member concerned and to collect all the other No Fakes stickers and tent cards in its possession.
- The issuing body concerned and the co-ordinator shall have the right to publicize, in any media and in any manner, the termination or withdrawal of the membership, any actions taken against the member concerned and any other matters relating to the termination or withdrawal that the issuing body concerned and/or the co-ordinator may deem appropriate, including without limitation the name of the member concerned and details relating to any termination or withdrawal of its membership.
- The issuing bodies and the co-ordinator shall not be responsible or liable in any way to any member for any loss or damage that may arise as the result of any actions taken by any of them in relation to the termination or withdrawal of membership pursuant to Notes 1 to 8 above (including without limitation any decisions to terminate the membership of any members) and/or the publication of any matters relating to such termination or withdrawal pursuant to Note 8 above. This provision shall continue to have effect notwithstanding any termination or withdrawal of membership as described above.
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Application
Membership is free of charge . Interested retail merchants should apply to the following issuing bodies in order to take part:
Application form is available from the issuing bodies or it can be downloaded here |
Membership Validity
Renewal of ¡®No Fakes Pledge¡¯ membership is on an annual basis and the membership of ¡®No Fakes Pledge¡¯ is valid from 1st January until 31st December that year. ¡®No Fakes¡¯ members are required to return all the expired and invalid ¡®No Fakes¡¯ stickers and tent cards to the issuing body concerned. |
Use of 'No Fakes' Logo
- The 'No Fakes' logo together with the 'No Fakes' stickers and tent cards are the property of Intellectual Property Department. If 'No Fakes' members intend to use ¡®No Fakes¡¯ logo in their advertisements or promotional materials, prior written approval should be obtained from the Intellectual Property Department.
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Enquiry
Further information regarding ¡®No Fakes Pledge¡¯ and intellectual property protection can be obtained from the Intellectual Property Department and www.nofakes.hk
Hotline: 2961 6907/ 2961 6901 |
Application Form
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