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The Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, made the following statement today (Wednesday) :

"The Government is fully committed to protecting intellectual property rights and the promotion of artistic creativity in Hong Kong. We will not allow piracy or counterfeiting activities to tarnish Hong Kong's reputation as an important trade and business centre.

"Protection of intellectual property rights is crucial to the development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong. Infringement of intellectual property rights denies owners the opportunity to make a reasonable return on their investment and slows down the momentum of a knowledge-based economy in sustaining its growth.

"While we have an intellectual property legislative regime which is one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date, we recognise that we face an uphill battle against infringement of intellectual property rights and must have the cooperation of the concerned industries, including the film making, film distribution and entertainment industries, as well as the general public.

"The Government has established communication channels with the concerned industries and will continue to discuss with them about ways to tackle the problem of intellectual property rights infringement.

"The Government is open to suggestions to further improve and strengthen our protection of intellectual property rights. We have issued a consultation paper to seek the views of the public on the need for further legislative measures to combat intellectual property rights infringements.

"We also recognise the importance of public education to our fight against the piracy and counterfeiting problem, and is devoting more public resources to promoting awareness in this important area. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the industry in this area."

End/Wednesday, March 17, 1999

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