THE EU GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION (GDPR)

As of May 25th, 2018, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been put into effect. Replacing the Data Protection Directive from 1995, the GDPR is adjusting how organizations across the region handle their data privacy and creating a unified set of data privacy laws to help protect and recognize all EU citizen’s data privacy. Below, you can read some of the significant highlights from the GDPR and how these changes may affect your business.

 

Business Impact

Increased Territorial Scope

  • There is an extended jurisdiction of the GDPR, as it applies to all companies processing the personal data of data subjects residing in the Union, regardless of the company’s location

Penalties

  • GDPR organizations in breach of GDPR can be fined up to 4% of annual global turnover or €20 million (whichever is greater).

Consent

  • Companies will no longer be able to use long illegible terms and conditions full of legalese, as the request for consent must be given in an intelligible and easily accessible form, with the purpose for data processing attached to that consent.

 

Conclusion for Business Impact:

  • A broader outreach for what constitutes a company to be ‘processing personal data’ in the European Union
  • Higher penalties for breach of GDPR
  • Need for shorter, more legible terms and conditions

 

For more information please visit https://www.eugdpr.org. 

*The above information is extracted and simplified from eugdpr.org. Centre O is a business resource centre in Hong Kong and we provide no warranty that the information listed above is accurate, up-to-date or complete and in no circumstance does the information constitute legal advice. You are responsible for independently verifying the information if you intend to rely upon or use it in any way.

欧盟通用数据保护条例 (GDPR)

自2018 年5 月 25日起，欧盟通用数据保护条例 (GDPR) 已生效。GDPR 取代了 1995 年的数据保护指令，正在调整整个地区的组织处理其数据隐私的方式，并创建一套统一的数据隐私法，以帮助保护和承认所有欧盟公民的数据隐私。您可以阅读以下 GDPR 中的一些重要亮点以及这些变化可能如何影响您的业务。
 
商业冲击
扩大领土范围
GDPR 具有扩展的管辖权，因为它适用于处理居住在欧盟的数据使用者的个人数据的所有公司，无论公司位于何处
处罚
违反 GDPR 的 GDPR 组织最高可被处以全球年营业额的 4% 或 2000 万欧元（以较高者为准）的罚款。
同意
公司将不再能够使用充满法律术语且难以辨认的冗长条款和条件，因为必须以可理解且易于访问的形式提出同意请求，并附有该同意的数据处理目的。
 
业务影响结论：
在欧盟“处理个人数据”的公司构成更广泛的外展
对违反 GDPR 的更高处罚
需要更短、更清晰的条款和条件
 
了解更多信息，请访问https://www.eugdpr.org。 
*以上信息摘自eugdpr.org。Center O 是香港的商业资源中心，本文所提供的的信息不构成对客户或第三方的咨询意见，对于因完全或部分依赖本文行事或不行事而直接或间接造成的任何损失，概不负责。

HAPPY DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL!

The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional holiday to show respect to the famous Chinese scholar Qu Yuan. The festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese calendar. This year, the festival is held on the 18th of June. To celebrate the festival, people love eating rice dumplings and race dragon boats. Both of these activities are worth a try, so check out some more details below.

In the Dragon Boat race, participants paddle traditional Hong Kong boats aptly called Dragon Boats, as there is the head of a dragon at the front and back of the boat. If you are interested in watching a Dragon Boat race, feel free to visit the Dragon Boat Carnival held on Victoria Harbour. You can watch the race along the promenade on both sides of the harbour. Moreover, there are the beer tents, game booths, traditional food and kids’ zone along the waterfront and near the Observation Wheel for your greatest pleasure.

Besides joining the carnival, you should also try to eat rice dumplings. It is made of glutinous rice stuffed with various fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. By boiling or steaming these rice dumpling, you can get a really good smell of the leaves and the filling inside.

Traditional festival is a good chance for you to experience the Hong Kong culture. Take a break, enjoy the festivities the Dragon Boat Festival offers and get a little more insights about Hong Kong culture.

祝你端午节快乐！

端午节是对中国著名学者屈原表示敬意的传统节日。这个节日发生在中国农历五月初五。今年端午节日于 6 月 18 日举行。人们喜欢吃粽子和赛龙舟来庆祝这个节日。这两项活动都值得一试，可浏览下面的更多详细信息进一步了解。

在龙舟比赛中，参赛者使用传统的香港小船划桨，因为船的前后各有一个龙首，被恰当地称为龙舟。如果您有兴趣观看龙舟比赛，欢迎参观在维多利亚港举行的龙舟比赛。您可以沿着海港两侧的长廊观看比赛。此外，沿着海滨和观景轮附近还有啤酒帐篷、游戏摊位、传统食品和儿童区，让您享受最大的乐趣。

除了参加比赛外，还应该尝试吃粽子。它是用糯米塞满各种馅料，用竹叶包裹而成。这些粽子都是通过煮或蒸，你可以闻到叶子和里面馅料的味道。

传统节日是您体验香港文化的好机会。休息一下，享受端午节提供的庆祝活动，并获得更多有关香港文化的见解。

THE BELT AND ROAD SUMMIT

On 28 June the Belt and Road Summit will be held in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This event is being held to discuss the opportunities and challenges the Belt and Road Initiative creates, and how best to face them.

What is the Belt and Road Initiative?

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an effort by the Chinese government to promote infrastructure development and trade in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Railroads, roads, and shipping lines will be created through the investment of over 1 trillion yuan in essentially any country that wants it. 

Admission and Attendance

Admission is between 2600 and 640 HKD, depending on the duration of your attendance. Who can register is not moderated on the website in any way, but the conference does have suggestions on who should go: business leaders, investors, government officials, etc. Flight and hotel offers are available for participants. Speakers will present in English, but simultaneous translation to Putonghua is available.

Speakers

The Belt and Road Summit Programme boasts 40+ international speakers from the fields of government, finance, and business, including the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, Carrie Lam. Topics covered include how best to reduce risk when financing, the digital Belt and Road, and Chinese trends and opportunities. Also featured are talks about environmentally-conscious, young, and female entrepreneurship opportunities within the Belt and Road Initiative.

Networking Events

Another major highlight of the event is the opportunity to network. Beginning after opening ceremonies, open forums divided by subject are available for participants to network all day. If you don’t want to miss any breakout sessions, time is set aside at the beginning of the day and during coffee breaks for networking. One-to-one specialized business matching to bring investors, project managers, and service providers together will also be offered based upon area of business: transportation infrastructure, energy, and rural/urban development. The next day a trip to Shenzhen to major Belt and Road companies in China is planned, providing an opportunity to network with Pearl River Delta government officials and learn about how the Belt and Road Initiative is being actively put into practice.

For businesses in the right region and fields, the Belt and Road initiative is an incredible opportunity, and this Summit is the best place to learn how to take advantage of it and to develop the contacts required to utilize it to its fullest.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRADEMARK REGISTRATION AND COMPANY REGISTRATION

Under Hong Kong law, there are subtle differences between Trademark Registration and Company Registration, for example, whether Company Registration protects brand or business names. In this blog, we are going to address the differences between the Companies Registry and Company Registration, and how Trademark Registration is different.

The most important difference is that Company Registration is not an indication of trademark rights. In other words, a Hong Kong business registration certificate or a certificate of incorporation does not by itself indicate that the business or company has rights to use its name or a trademark in promoting or dealing in goods and services. Company Registration only means your company is incorporated and stored in the Companies Registry. If you want a trademark, a Trademark Registration is required to obtain those rights in Hong Kong.

If you want to get the trademark rights for your company, you should complete the Trademark Registration at the Trade Marks Registry. It is important in entrepreneurship to both have the registration to run your company and to use your company’s trademark in promoting or dealing with your goods and services to develop a brand.

Centre O can help you with registering your company and also your trademark. Contact us at sales@centreo.hk if you have any questions.

商标注册与公司注册的区别

根据香港法律，商标注册和公司注册之间存在细微差别，例如公司注册是否保护品牌或商业名称。我们会在这里讨论公司注册处和公司注册之间的差异，以及商标注册的不同之处。
最重要的区别是公司注册不是商标权的标志。换句话来说，香港商业登记证或注册成立证明书本身并不表示该企业或公司有权使用其名称或商标来推广或经营商品和服务。公司注册仅意味着您的公司在公司注册处成立并存储，如果您想要商标，则需要进行商标注册才能在香港获得这些权利。
如果您想为您的公司获得商标权，您应该在商标注册处完成商标注册。在创业过程中，重要的是要注册经营您的公司，并使用您公司的商标来推广或处理您的商品和服务以发展品牌。
Center O 可以帮助您注册公司和商标。 如果您有任何问题，请通过sales@centreo.hk联系我们 。

香港可接受的公文格式

有时我们必须向税务局或公司注册处提交相关正式文件。但是，有时文件会因其格式不符合要求而被拒绝。
以下是一些不符合要求的格式的常见情况：
有些文档是双面打印的。
一些文件使用美国页眉纸。
因此，我们想提醒您，所有寄往香港政府、银行或其他官方部门的公文，必须使用 A4 普通白纸，单面来打印。
请不要忘记这一点，否则可能会拖慢您的业务流程，浪费宝贵的时间和金钱！
如果您有任何疑问，Centre O 随时可为您提供帮助。可通过 sales@centreo.hk 与我们联系。

ACCEPTABLE OFFICIAL DOCUMENT FORMAT IN HONG KONG

Sometimes we have to file relevant official documents to the Inland Revenue Department or the Companies Registry. Sometimes, however, are documents are rejected due to their unacceptable format .

Below are a few common cases of unacceptable formats:

  1. Some documents are printed 2-sided.
  2. Some documents use American Header Paper.

Therefore, we want to kindly remind you that all official documents sent to the government, banks or other official departments of Hong Kong must use plain white A4 printer paper, printed single-sided.

Please don’t forget this important point, otherwise, it may slow down your business procedures, costing valuable time and money!

If you have any enquiries, Centre O is always here to help. Please contact us at sales@centreo.hk.