Editorial | New Hong Kong copyright law must take interests of all into account
- Much needs to be done if Hong Kong is to become a regional intellectual property trading centre, and stakeholders should make their voices heard to ensure proposed legislation gets the balance right
An overhaul of Hong Kong’s copyright regime is long overdue. The government began moves to reform the legislation in 2006.
Since then, there have been three rounds of consultation and two bills. But the legal amendments have still not been made.
A bill introduced in 2014 was shelved two years later after filibustering by opposition lawmakers left insufficient time. Concerns were raised by internet users that their online activities would be unduly restricted by the proposals.
Now, the copyright legislation is to be revived. The move has been triggered partly by Beijing’s support for Hong Kong to become a regional intellectual property trading centre, included in China’s 14th five-year plan in March.
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What happened at the Chinese Communist Party’s major policy meeting, the fifth plenum?
To achieve that, the city urgently needs to bring its copyright laws into line with international developments. Hong Kong is a long way behind.
A new consultation based on the 2014 bill ends in February. But this is only the starting point.