Before concluding his visit, the Governor met district board members and community leaders at a reception at the City Hall Restaurant.
The Governor was accompanied by Mrs Patten, the Director of Home Affairs, Mr Joseph Wong, the Central and Western District Officer, Mr Philip Yung, and the District Board Chairman, Mr Yuen Bun-keung-
End/Wednesday, March 15, 1995
Increase in penalties against copyright piracy
The Secretary for Trade and Industry, Mr T H Chau, will introduce the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 1995 into the Legislative Council at the sitting on March 29 to increase the penalties against copyright piracy.
The new maximum penalties for the possession of infringing copies of copyright works for trade and business purposes will be a fine of $25,000 per copy, and two-year imprisonment.
"They represent a substantial increase from the existing penalties of a fine of only $1,000 per copy and 12 months' imprisonment," Mr Chau said.
Mr Chau said the existing penalties have not been adjusted for a long time and are among the lowest in Asia.
"Clearly the existing penalties have failed to provide sufficient deterrent against copyright piracy. We need to increase the penalties substantially to demonstrate to both the local and international communities our determination to combat copyright piracy," Mr Chau said.
"Copyright piracy is a serious offence. It is damaging Hong Kong's economic interests and international reputation," Mr Chau said.
"We must not let the copyright pirates prejudice unfairly the legitimate interests of the copyright owners, or damage Hong Kong's hard-won international reputation as one of the world's leading business centres."