Press Release - November 18, 2005

The Intellectual Property Department (IPD) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has joined with the California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth (CAJOBS) to fight piracy and promote the respect of intellectual property rights (IPRs).

The effort is featured in a new TV Announcement in the Public Interest (API) which was launched today (November 18) in Hong Kong at a luncheon organised by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) and the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham) in co-operation with the IPD and the CAJOBS.

Featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California, in the United States, and movie star Jackie Chan, the API was shot in California in September.

Speaking at the luncheon, the Director of Intellectual Property, Mr Stephen Selby, said that the protection of intellectual property rights was an issue of global concern.

"This API is the result of co-operation between Hong Kong and the US. It shows a strong determination to fight piracy. Apart from effective enforcement measures to combat piracy and counterfeiting, a soft-sell approach like this API is an additional measure to bring this message to the public."

"We are so glad that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan have agreed to feature in the API. Their contribution was made without a fee. We believe that the impact of this API will be phenomenal," Mr Selby said.

"Stamping out piracy is good for trade, good for our economies and good for consumers," Mr Schwarzenegger said. "The illegal duplication and marketing of all sorts of products, from medical equipment to DVDs, is stealing from the workers who design and manufacture the real goods, harming the consumers who purchase the fakes and hindering job growth."

" Speaking as a business owner, I can tell you that pirating of intellectual property is no different than a thief walking into your store and stealing your merchandise," co-chairman of the California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth Mr Warren Hellman said. "I congratulate Governor Schwarzenegger, the Hong Kong SAR Intellectual Property Department and Jackie Chan for taking on this illegal and immoral practice."

The API, which was released today, was directed by Jonathan Mostow, the director of the movie "Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines". It is being shown on local & regional TV stations and on buses.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected California's governor in 2003.

He is visiting China and Hong Kong from November 14-19, 2005, on behalf of California business to promote California goods and services and obtain direct foreign investment for California. He will also highlight the importance of intellectual property rights enforcement when he is in China and Hong Kong.

The California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth is a member-supported California non-profit corporation that works to attract and retain employers and jobs in California and to market the state across the country and around the world as a place to do business, visit, invest and buy products and services.


For more information, please contact: Stephen Siu, Assistant Director (Public Relations) of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office at: (416)924-5544 or email: [email protected] or Elison Chu, Senior Information Officer, [email protected]