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| May 2000 A matter of ideology Intellectual property vs. piracy By Crystal Tang Article from the same section: Piracy is no stranger to citizens of Hong Kong. But few understand the importance of protecting intellectual property rights. Intellectual property is the name commonly given to a group of separate, intangible property rights. These include patents, copyrights, trademarks, designs, and plant varieties — even the layout and design of integrated circuits. Infringement of intellectual property rights denies owners the chance to make reasonable return from their works. It is widely believed that pirated products dispirit the incentive of movie makers or scriptwriters to produce movies. However, Mr. Lee Lik Chee, a director and a radio programme host, has another point of view. “I think piracy of movies is good for the business of Hong Kong,” Mr. Lee said. In the past, the movie industry was prosperous, but lots of movies were sloppy. According to Mr. Lee, this is simply because many investors were not enthusiastic about movies. They joined the business just out of money. He believes that the piracy of movies drove untalented movie makers out of the business. Said Mr. Lee: “The quality of Hong Kong movies has been improving because of piracy. Thus, perhaps we should be thankful for it. “Moreover, good movies are not be affected by piracy activities, like Titanic. “It premiered when piracy activities were in their most severe situation. Its box office was not affected at all,” he said. However, Mr. Lee still believes that the government should do something to solve the problem, as it has been eating the rewards that creators should reap. Piracy in movies and musical compositions has existed in Hong Kong for years. The Customs and Excise Department has extensive powers in searching, seizing and combating infringement of intellectual property rights. According to statistics from the Customs and Excise Department, the department seized nearly 3.3 million pirated CDs and about 9.4 million pirated VCDs in 1999. They were valued $65.8 million and $146.6 million, respectively. When compared with about 1.8 million pirated CDs and more than 35 million pirated VCDs in 1998, the number of seizures has grown remarkably. Mr. Lee admits that the government has tried its best in combating piracy, but he is not satisfied with the efficiency. “My film, King of Comedy, and Jackie Chan’s film, Gorgeous, were shown in the Lunar New Year of 1999,” Mr. Lee said. “Beforehand we jointly held a press conference. “We urged the government to hasten to combat piracy,” he said. “Unfortunately, pirated VCDs still prevail. The improvement will be seen in early 2000. “Although it takes about two years to change the situation, I respect the positive manner of the Customs and Excise Department in enforcing the protection of intellectual property.” The large supply of pirated VCDs derives from great demand. There must be buyers for pirated VCDs. Mr. Henry Chu, a Form 1 student from Yau Ma Tei, said he bought pirated VCDs just out of convenience. “I can watch pirated VCDs at home so I don’t have to go to a theatre. It’s quite convenient for me. “As a citizen, I don’t know how to distinguish between copyrighted and pirated VCDs. “I’m not an expert, so I don’t need to bear the responsibility of buying pirated VCDs,” Mr. Chu said. Underlining the commitment of intellectual property protection, the government established the Intellectual Property Department on 2 July 1990. “Our routine is to give advice on policies and legislation, and to protect intellectual property in Hong Kong,” said Miss Ellen Ho, spokesperson of the Intellectual Property Department. The Intellectual Property Department also maintains the registration of trademarks, patents and design in Hong Kong. Most importantly, the Department is responsible for promoting public awareness intellectual property issues. According to Miss Ho, the Department targets certain groups to arouse their awareness of protecting intellectual property rights. Said Miss Ho: “The most important targets are students, as we believe that it would be the most effective way to educate the public, when they are young.” The Department has been conducting school visits and providing free copies of tailor-made teaching kits to secondary schools. It has visited over 55,000 students in over 160 secondary schools. “Our specific target group this year is small-scale enterprises,” Miss Ho said However, the Intellectual Property Department faces difficulties in carrying out its duties. Said she: “Copyright or intellectual property is an abstract idea, the line is quite difficult to draw. “Intellectual property protection means a change of attitude, manner or conceptualization by citizens. It takes a long time to educate them,” she said. With the advent of a new era, there is an increasing number of people showing concern about copyrights on the Internet. In fact, the Copyright Ordinance passed in 1997 already provides comprehensive protection for recognized categories of literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, as well as for films, television broadcasts and cable diffusion. Said Miss Ho: “The Internet is just one means to transmit information. “Any works obtained from the Internet which are not authorized by the owners, are illegal. “As the Internet has become more popular, we will clarify the copyright of works on the Internet in the future,” she said. While protecting intellectual properties is a matter of ideology, it takes time and patience to have people understand its importance. |
Few Hong Kong people understand the importance of protecting intellectual property rights. It might be a matter of ideology.
Contrary to what the majority thinks, Mr. Lee Lik Chee thinks that piracy of movies is good for the movie industry in Hong Kong. (Varsity file photo)
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