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14.

The quality of the Hong Kong market, and the protection of exclusive publishing rights in Hong Kong under local copyright law, is also a powerful incentive for British publishers to place extensive printing work in Hong Kong. Indeed, Hong Kong is often a major original source of export of British books to other territories, and local printing of course makes titles available earlier in Hong Kong than would otherwise be the case.

15. The attached memorandum spells out the requirements of the Berne Convention for the protection of the exclusive publishing right, the problems of unfair competition resulting from permitting 'parallel importation', and the economic and commercial consequences of parallel importation.

16.

The Publishers Association strongly urgues the Law Reform Commission of Hong Kong that it should firmly reject proposals to permit parallel importation into Hong Kong, which would be contrary to international law and trading practice, contrary to normal rules to ensure fair competition, and damaging to the interests of authors, publishers, distributors and users of books.

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