MACAU’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SYSTEM IN THE DIGITAL AGE

MACAU’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SYSTEM IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Gonçalo Cabral

ISBN 9789041198471
Kluwer Law International

Asked to write about the Macau intellectual property law in the digital age, I decided to give a brief overview of how Macau law deals with certain areas more closely connected with the digital environment. In doing so, however, I will not avoid approaching other aspects which, though not directly related with that the digital environment, are also a focus of great attention nowadays. One should begin by explaining that due to Portuguese rule that lasted from the middle of the sixteenth century until 19 December 1999, the Macanese legal system stands in the civil law tradition and that Macau is now a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). A Special Administrative Region is a legal entity endowed with a great degree of autonomy, which includes local legislative, executive and judicial powers. The Macanese SAR legal system is therefore dramatically different from that of the PRC.