Mumbai: To mark World Intellectual Property Day on 26 April, the Hong Kong Government and the International Federation Against Copyright Theft – Greater China (IFACT-GC) have organized a range of activities designed to raise awareness among students and consumers of the economic damage caused by intellectual property theft.
 
From 25 – 27 April at the Hong Kong Film Archive, the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) and IFACT-GC will co-host three screenings of Kevin Chu’s movie Tangshan Tangshan together with a 20-minute educational short video What a Tangled Web We Weave, which was jointly produced by IPD and Diocesan Girls School. Tickets for the event have been circulated among secondary school students.
 
On 25 April IFACT-GC launched a new anti-piracy trailer on its website (www.ifact-gc.org). Featuring Tsui Hark’s modern classic Seven Swords and a voice over performed by, Movie Producers and Distributors Association of Hong Kong Limited chairman Raymond Wong, the trailer invites consumers to consider the question ‘What Are You Really Burning’ when downloading and burning copies of pirated movies.
 
"The theme for 2008 World Intellectual Property Day is ‘Innovation’. Every innovation starts with an idea, and that idea is the creator’s property. It is necessary to raise public awareness of the importance of protecting that valuable Intellectual Property (IP)," said Government of the HKSAR director of intellectual property Stephen Selby.
 
"Remember that without innovators such as Tsui Hark, pirates wouldn’t even have a product to copy. Rampant piracy discourages innovation and burning pirated movies harms the movie industry and reduces the quality and range of movies available to consumers" said Wong.