Heda Bayron of Voice of America comes up with a nice Asia Piracy Report, in written form and in streaming video.
In the video you see Stephen Selby, the head of Hong Kong’s intellectual property department saying:
“The public gets tired of being told not to be naughty. There has got to be something in it for them. Usually we do things more willingly if we think we benefit in the end rather than just being told, ‘Uh-uh, naughty, ya-yay, you must not do that.’ “
Right, so what is he proposing to give in return? The report did not caught his answer.
But the article continues about safety risks and the true cost of copyright piracy and depriving producers of their profit, which leaves them without any incentives to innovate, which hurts economic development, and in the end the consumer’s wallet.
Was this Selby’s reasoning or was he referring to benefits in a more literal way, such as reward schemes for informants giving specific information leading to a seizure or conviction in piracy activities? Remember HK’s efforts to turn youth into snitches, here. These reward schemes exist already at least since 2004, see here.
In the video you can see Mike Ellis of MPA, representing movie companies (again in a winning mood after the victory against Sohu.com), making a cameo about the risks of movie making and market access restrictions that stimulate copyright piracy.
Read and watch Bayron’s report here.
Update: Counterfeit.com reports that in January Hong Kong Customs and Excise have arrested 130 people.
“Officers raided 806 pirated optical disc retail outlets, 80 counterfeit goods stalls and 17 showroom-and-storage facilities across Hong Kong.“
Read here.
