The Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Richard Yuen, and the Deputy Director of Intellectual Property, Mr Peter Cheung, today (January 16) officiated at the "Respect Intellectual Property on the Internet" Card Holder Design Competition cum "Youth Ambassador of the Year" prize presentation ceremony held at the Y-Theatre of Youth Square in Chai Wan.
The Card Holder Design Competition was jointly organised by the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) and the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) to encourage creativity and strengthen public awareness of intellectual property rights (IPRs). More than 800 students and members of the IPD's "I Pledge" Campaign and the Youth Ambassador Against Internet Piracy Scheme (YAAIP Scheme) had submitted entries.
Speaking at the prize presentation ceremony, Mr Yuen said that the fight against piracy activities would never be successful without the co-operation and support of various sectors in society.
He noted that the C&ED had been joining with other government departments, including the IPD, and the copyright industry in boosting public respect for IPRs, especially among youngsters, through civic education and various publicity activities. One of the activities is the YAAIP Scheme.
The scheme was initiated by the C&ED in 2006 in collaboration with the copyright industry. Some 200,000 members of 11 youth uniformed organisations joined the scheme which is aimed at promoting a sense of respect for copyright works among young people.
In 2009, different training and educational activities were organised under the scheme, including visits to animation production studios and C&ED facilities, video shooting workshops, a card-holder design competition and movie shows, to strengthen members' knowledge of IPRs.
Mr Yuen said that with the close co-operation between the C&ED and local Internet auction sites against the selling of counterfeit goods and the C&ED's strengthened enforcement action of Internet auction sites, the number of auctioned items suspected to be counterfeit goods had dramatically decreased by 85%. In addition, online piracy activities had also been suppressed following the crackdown on the "Big Crook" case by the C&ED, with the use of BT technology for piracy activities down by 80%, he added.
The C&ED's Anti-Internet Piracy Teams and Computer Analysis and Response Team have also played a vital role in tackling online piracy. With the adoption of advanced investigation technologies including the Lineament Monitoring System, the C&ED is able to monitor illegal piracy activities round-the-clock and track down the identities of those taking part in such activities.
Also officiating at the ceremony, Mr Cheung urged members of the public to respect IPRs and not to engage in illegal uploading or downloading activities when enjoying the achievements of Internet development. He added that creativity and works of individual persons should be respected and protected so that the creative industry could flourish.
The Card Holder Design Competition is one of the activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the "I Pledge" Campaign. Launched by the IPD in 1999, the campaign has attracted over 9,000 members who pledge not to buy or use pirated or counterfeit goods and to show respect for the IPR of others. The IPD revised the charter of the "I Pledge" Campaign in April 2006 to include "against copyright infringement on the Internet" in the pledge list.
During the ceremony, a total of 18 prizes were presented to winners of the Card Holder Design Competition. Also, a total of 14 youth ambassadors were awarded trophies for their outstanding performance in the fight against online piracy and active participation in various activities of the YAAIP Scheme.
Also officiating at the ceremony were the Assistant Commissioner (Intelligence and Investigation), Mr Tam Yiu-keung, the Head of the Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau, Mr Ho Shi-king, and representatives of the 11 youth uniformed organisations.
Ends/Saturday, January 16, 2010
