Willow Duttge wrote an article about Hong Kong’s efforts to clean its streets of counterfeited goods before the WTO summit about free trade and IP enforcement will be held.
China’s Special Economic Region with its own Rule of Law and IP law is getting ready for the global summit that takes place from December 13-18. Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department is stepping up efforts against counterfeits. The purpose is that tourists will not be bothered with vendors of pirated goods and Hong Kong’s image as shopping paradise is upheld.
“A special action team of 108 people has been created to step up anti-counterfeit measures for the global summit, (customs official) Chiu said.”
Is this action team window dressing for the summit?
“The team will continue until after the WTO meeting and will be reviewed afterward. If the counterfeit sales people have been suppressed, the special action team might not be needed in the future, he said.”
And as usual in Hong Kong the governement launched a few patronizing anti-pirated goods infomercials that were aired on TV, starring Jacky Chan and Arnold Schartzwenegger saying about counterfeiting: “Let’s terminate it.”
Duttge wrote: “With one of the world’s biggest factories for fakes next door, it could be hard for Hong Kong to control the flow until China does a better job clamping down.”
Read more here.
