Hong Kong movie, music, theater, software, retailing, broadcasting and
information technology industries joined together on March 17, 1999 in a bid
to raise public awareness of the rampant piracy problem in Hong Kong and to
show their support in demanding the police to start immediately raiding pirate
retailers.
The major event of the Anti-Piracy Day was the Anti-Piracy March, which was
held in the afternoon outside the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong SAR
Government. Supported by dozens of legislators and celebrities such as actor
Jacky Chan and singer Leo Lai, the 2,000-strong group then marched to the
Central Government Office. A letter of appeal was handed to the Chief
Executive Mr. Tung Chee Hwa, who has met with representatives from different
industries and promised to allocate more resources to end copyright piracy.
Besides the March, local broadcasters, such as RTHK and Cable TV also
conducted selective blackouts and retailers such as HMV handed out anti-piracy
flyers to consumers. Seven full-page and one half-page advertisements,
containing the demands of the copyright-industries, also appeared in major
local newspapers to bring home the message.
"We must show our solidarity to the public that we must fight piracy," said
Mr. Norman Cheng, Chairman of IFPI Hong Kong Group. As an honorary spokesman of
the Anti- Piracy March, he said in his speech that rampant piracy was not just
killing the recording industry but was also a valuable and irreplaceable part
of the cultural heritage. "The police must start immediately to raid pirate
retailers before Hong Kong turns into a piracy paradise," said Mr. Cheng.
Regional Director of IFPI Asia Mr. J.C. Giouw said the cross-industry
cooperation on piracy was unprecedented. "We want to let the public know that
piracy is hurting the industry and it has a more far-reaching impact on the
local culture and economy," he said. According to figures from IFPI, the local
recording industry lost HK$820 million (US$105 million) to piracy last year.
Mr. J.C. Giouw estimated that the whole music industry, including other
components such as karaoke and music publishing, has cost more than 3,600 jobs
in 1998 because of copyright piracy.
Mr. Ricky Fung, CEO of IFPI Hong Kong Group, said the industry would continue
supporting the HKSAR Government in their fight against copyright piracy. He
said IFPI would respond positively to a Consultation Paper on additional legal
tools to stamp out piracy issued by the HKSAR Government. However, he stressed
that the Hong Kong Government should listen to the industries and allow police
to be involved directly in anti-piracy enforcement.
"Hong Kong did suffer enormously during the late 1970s because of music
piracy. The Government was able to root out the problem within a very short
period of time by involving several law enforcement bodies. I believe this
can be done again,'" according to Mr. Fung.
{ Click here for more details of this event. }