HonG KonG
Ella Cheong
Ella Cheong (Hong Kong) Patent and Trademark Agents
HoW to GEt
CoPYRIGHt RIGHt
Th ough Hong Kong started out as a fi shing village, it has become an energetic
Copyright Relaxed restrictions on november 28, 2003
fi nancial and commercial city that increasingly values creative industries.
(Amendment) parallel imports of computer
According to the latest statistics, Hong Kong has approximately 32,000
ordinance 2003 software products
creative industry-related establishments, engaging more than 170,000
Copyright Introduced the ‘copyshop’ september 1, 2004
practitioners. Th ese contribute more than HK$60 billion ($7.69 billion) to
(Amendment) offence
Hong Kong’s gross domestic product annually, accounting for approximately
ordinance 2004
four percent of GDP.
Copyright Partly relaxed the July 6, 2007
(Amendment) prohibitions against
Create Hong Kong, established under the Communications and Technology
ordinance 2007 the import and use of
Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, provides
parallel imported copies
one-stop services for creative industries.
of copyrighted works
by business end-users;
Underpinning creative industries are innovation and creativity, and this
introduced exemptions
is where copyright comes in. Th e Hong Kong government’s emphasis on
for the education sector,
creative industries has been manifested in its eff orts to strengthen the
persons with print disability
copyright regime. Since the Copyright Ordinance came into eff ect on June
and public bodies;
27, 1997, copyright has been a fertile ground for reform.
introduced permission to
play sound broadcast in
How to get it right in the copyright regime is a question that has been
vehicles
occupying the minds of Hong Kong policy and law makers for the past decade.
Th e following are the main legislative changes introduced since 1997:
Th e rationale for these changes was to strike a balance between the use
of copyrighted works by the public and protection of the legal rights of
Legislation Main changes Effective dates
copyright owners. It takes two to tango, which is also true when considering
Copyright Introduced criminal liabilities April 1, 2001
how to enhance our copyright legislation.
(suspension of for some infringements
Amendments)
Change is non-stop. Th e Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2009 was
ordinance 2001
enacted on April 24, 2009, aimed at clarifying the circumstances in which
82 World Intellectual Property Review Digest 2009 www.worldipreview.com
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