HONG KONG - Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah will introduce the Copyright (Amendment) Bill into the Legislative Council for first and second readings on June 8, the government announced on Friday.  

In a statement issued on Friday, a spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said that the intellectual property regime has all along been very important to Hong Kong as an international trade center.

Updating Hong Kong's copyright regime and strengthening copyright protection in the digital environment are important parts of the strategy to develop the city into a regional IP trading center under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the government said

Updating Hong Kong's copyright regime and strengthening copyright protection in the digital environment are important parts of the strategy to develop the city into a regional IP trading center under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the spokesman said.

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“Hong Kong's IP regime must keep abreast with the times and international norms, as well as meet its social and economic needs,” the statement read.

The bill was gazetted on Friday, the government said. The legislative proposals include introducing an exclusive technology-neutral communication right for copyright owners in light of technological developments and introducing criminal sanctions against infringements relating to the new communication right.

The bill also aims to revise and expand the scope of copyright exceptions to allow use of copyright works in certain common internet activities.

The majority of the respondents agreed that there is an imminent need for Hong Kong to update the copyright regime and generally support the government's key legislative proposals, accoridng to a survey

Additionally, it proposes to introduce "safe harbor" provisions to provide incentives for online service providers to cooperate with copyright owners in combatting online piracy and to provide reasonable protection for their acts.

The other key area covered in the legislative proposal includes the introduction of two additional statutory factors for the court to consider when assessing whether to award additional damages to copyright owners in civil cases involving copyright infringements.

In November, the government conducted a three-month public consultation on updating the city’s copyright regime.

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The majority of the respondents agreed that there is an imminent need for Hong Kong to update the copyright regime and generally support the government's key legislative proposals, according to the spokesman.

The bureau will continue to engage stakeholders and solicit LegCo's support during the legislative amendment exercise to secure passage of the bill as soon as possible, the spokesman added.