The annual meeting between the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society (HKRRLS) and the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) took place successfully on 27 November 2024. Participants engaged in discussions and shared insights on their efforts to protect intellectual property and promote copyright education, as well as exchanged views on issues related to online piracy.
由「香港書刊版權授權協會」主辦，「知識產權署」及「香港海關」協辦的「2024/2025年度全港校際尊重知識產權創作比賽」啟動午宴已於10月7日順利舉行！
為加強學生從小尊重版權的意識，版權協會、知識產權處及香港海關，自2007年展開了全港大型校際「尊重版權」創作比賽，希望透過活動培育學生的創意思維，認識創意產業及明白尊重版權的重要性。「版權協會」於 2024-2025 學年再度舉辦第十屆大型「全港校際尊重知識產權創作比賽」。
今年活動口號為 「知識產權要尊重 創科創意創未來」，比賽分為「幼稚園組」、「小學組(初小)」、「小學組(高小)」「中學組(初中)」、「中學(高中)及大專組」五個組別進行，每個組別均有獨立的項目。今屆活動除設金、銀、銅、優異獎及「積極參與學校獎」外，更於「中學(高中)及大專組」增設「創科與尊重知識產權」特別獎，培養學生對創新科技與尊重知識產權的意識，同時強調版權保護與創新科技之間的重要關係。
為持續灌輸尊重知議產權價值觀的重要性，今年活動特設專題網站，提供知議產權資訊的教育平台。網站除了提供有關獎項的資訊外，還會適時更新尊重知議產權、商標相關的知識、最新趨勢和信息，並組織投票活動和競猜遊戲，為公眾提供有關尊重版權的資訊和教育資源，同時提升公眾參與度。
今年活動共邀得20 間機構成為支持單位，特別感謝各學校議會、「香港電腦教育學會」、「香港教育城」、「香港海關Customs Yes」、「學校圖書館主任協會」、「香港工業總會 第 25 分組香港資訊科技業協會及教育委員會」、「香港資優教育學苑」以及「香港科技創新聯盟」的支持。
比賽將於2025年1月10號截止報名。詳情請瀏覽活動專題網站： https://hkrrls-award.hk/。
立即報名參賽: https://award.hkma.org.hk/hkrrls/enrol_form.asp?testonly=Y
下載活動海報及資料單張：https://bit.ly/CopyrightEduCampaign-promotional-materials
In April, our “Publishing 3.0” team traveled to Italy to participate in the 2024 Bologna Children’s Book Fair. We proudly showcased our e-books and audiobooks in the “Hong Kong Smart eBook Hub”, along with our AI-powered e-book conversion tool. Our aim was to facilitate copyright trading and licensing.
Subsequently, we organized an industry sharing session on 18 May to share our team’s experience at the Hong Kong Pavilion of the Bologna Book Fair. This included our business networking meetings with potential partners and the latest updates on the “Hong Kong Smart eBook Hub”.
We were honoured to have Dr. Elaine Choy, the award-winning author of “The Next Writer Publication Funding Scheme”, and Dr. Sharon Wong, Executive Chairperson (Administration) of the “Publishing 3.0” Steering Committee and Executive Director of the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society, in attendance. They shared their experiences from the Book Fair with the attendees. Dr. Wong also provided the latest updates on the eBook Hub. Their presentations were well received by the audience.
Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society Limited, hereunder refers as HKRRLS, organizing the “2024/25 Copyright Education Campaign” (Campaign), with the Intellectual Property Department and Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department as co-organizers.
With the aim of raising awareness within the education sector and the broader community about the importance of respecting copyright, the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society (HKRRLS) has been organizing a large-scale inter-school competition known as “The Copyright Education Campaign” (Campaign) since 2007. The initiative is designed to inspire students’ creativity thinking by immersing them in the role of creators, thereby emphasizing the significance of respecting copyright.
The campaign has become a crucial initiative in promoting copyright education from kindergartens, primary, secondary school, and tertiary institutions. These efforts have contributed to a positive value, fostering a generation that respects intellectual property rights, and understands the legal and ethical implications of using creative content.
About HKRRLS
HKRRLS represents millions of publications published in Hong Kong and overseas, via its affiliation with the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO) headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. HKRRLS obtains licensing authority from mandates given by national rightsholders, and international repertoire through bilateral agreements with other international Reproduction Rights Organisations (RROs). HKRRLS is one of the six registered licensing bodies with the Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department and has over 20 years of experience in copyright licensing, royalty collection and distribution.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as positioned by the National 14th Five-Year Plan as Asia’s IP trading hub and the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, provides an excellent platform for the Campaign.
HKRRLS aims to promote and advance the rights of copyright owners, raise public awareness and understanding of Hong Kong’s copyright laws, meet the needs of the local community who want access to published works by providing an economical, efficient one-stop shop for licensing the works around the world and to enforce the rights of those we represent both on a domestic and international basis.
HKRRLS is not-for-profit organization with all income (including royalties from licensees and from RROs) after deduction of expenditure and certain necessary provisions are available for distribution to rightsholders.
Importance of Copyright Education
Hong Kong copyright protects creativity. The efforts of writers, artists, designers, software programmers and other talents need to and should be protected so as to create an environment where creativity can flourish and hard work can be rewarded. In return, the public benefits from the creations.
Hong Kong is a creative place and international trading centre. The protection of intellectual property rights, including copyright, is essential to assuring investors that Hong Kong offers a free and fair business environment.
As a result, educating students about respecting copyright is crucial for nurturing a culture that values and upholds intellectual property rights. From a young age, understanding the importance of respecting copyright helps students recognize the value of original work and the need to credit creators appropriately. This foundational knowledge encourages ethical behavior and fosters a sense of responsibility in using and sharing creative content.
The 2022/23 Hong Kong Inter-School Respect Copyright Creative Competition, jointly organised by the HKRRLS and the Intellectual Property Department (IPD), which aims to cultivate awareness and respect for copyright among participating students at an early age has attracted more than 3,000 student submissions from over 200 schools.
Lat year, the award presentation and closing ceremony (with participants from kindergartens, primary, secondary schools, and tertiary institutions) was held with over 160 students, parents, teachers and supporting organizers was joined the event.
This TENDER DOCUMENT is not transferable and name of purchaser and bidder who submits shall be the same.
For and on behalf of
Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society
Dr. Sharon Wong
Executive Director
2.1 Purpose “TENDER DOCUMENT FOR Event Management Services for the 2024/25 Copyright Education Campaign. This document provides information to enable the bidders to understand the broad requirements to submit their “Bids”.
2.2 Bidder shall send their email as prescribed into the contact at which the bids are to be submitted. The response to the queries will be replied by email.
2.3 Bidder shall provide the proposal with budget and scope of work for the promotion and event management of “2024/25 Copyright Education Campaign”. HKRRLS shall examine all documentation and other information submitted by Bidders.
2.4 HKRRLS reserves the right to reject all bids, and re-tender if no satisfactory bids are submitted. HKRRLS is under no obligation to award the contract or to award it to the lowest bidder.
2.5 Tender must be clearly marked with the tender reference and the subject of the tender on the front of the envelope and super scribe on the sealed envelope by post / in-person, address to the Accounting and Administration Manager, HKRRLS and reach our office before 7 June 2024 17:00 to the following address:
Accounting and Administration Manager
Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society
Unit D, 15/F, E-Trade Plaza, 24 Lee Chung Street, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
Subject: Event Management Services for the 2024/25 Copyright Education Campaign
Tender Reference No. HKRRLS\20240501\CopyrightEducationCampaign
Failure to meet the closing date will result in the tender being void.
2.6 Tender shall remain valid for a period of a minimum of 90 calendar days after the date of the bid submission deadline as prescribed by HKRRLS.
2.7 The covering letter and the proposal duly completed with authorized signature and company chop.
Event Management Services for the 2024/25 Copyright Education Campaign Deadline:
7 June 2024
The “International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations (IFRRO) Asia Pacific Committee Meeting and Welcome Dinner 2024” jointly organised by IFRRO and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s Create Hong Kong, and implemented by the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society, was successfully held from April 25th to 26th, 2024.
With headquarters in Belgium, IFRRO is the global industry body for collective management organisations (CMOs) in the text/image sector. It facilitates, on an international basis, the collective management of reproduction and other rights in text and image works through the cooperation of 150+ member organisations drawn from more than 85 countries and regions around the world. Its members represent many millions of authors, visual artists, and publishers of books, journals, newspapers, magazines and printed music. HKRRLS, in affiliation with IFRRO, represents millions of publications published in Hong Kong and overseas. HKRRLS aims to protect the intellectual property rights of our represented authors and publishers and to raise public awareness of copyright and collective management organisations.
The APC Meeting is an important gathering of representatives from Asia Pacific Committee of IFRRO, as well as industry experts and practitioners from creative industries. The Asia Pacific Committee of IFRRO comprises 17 CMOs from 13 countries and regions with interests in the region. These countries and regions include China, Hong Kong China, Australia, Singapore, United Kingdom, Philippines, Emirates, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Aims to foster partnerships and collaborations that can lead to new business opportunities and growth in the IP sector, the APC Meeting to be held in Hong Kong will provide a platform for discussions on crucial developments in collective licensing and best practices in copyright management.
Hong Kong SAR, as positioned by the 14th Five-Year Plan of China as Asia’s IP trading hub and the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, provides an excellent platform for the APC Meeting. By bringing together stakeholders from the IP and related industries in Hong Kong, ASEAN, and the Asia Pacific regions, along with delegates from IFRRO, we aim to create a conducive environment for networking and knowledge exchange.
Group photo of representatives of IFRRO Asia Pacific Committee members after the meeting.
We were honoured to have Mr. Lau Chun, Raistlin, JP, Under Secretary of CSTB (fourth from left) and Ms. Tracey Armstrong, Chairman of IFRRO (fourth from right), delivered welcome speeches at the APC Meeting; and Mr. Ponch Poon, Chairman of HKRRLS (first from left), Ms. Sarah Tran, Policy and Public Affairs Consultant of IFRRO (second from left), Ms. Anita Huss-Ekerhult, CEO and Secretary-General of IFRRO (third from left), Ms. Cho Lai Suk Ha, Lowell, Assistant Head of Create Hong Kong (third from right), Mr. Andrew Fong, Chair of IFRRO Asia Pacific Committee (Second from right) and Dr. Sharon Wong, Executive Director of HKRRLS and Vice Chair of IFRRO Asia Pacific Committee (first from right) to join our the APC Meeting.
Mr. Lau Chun, Raistlin, JP, Under Secretary for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, delivered a welcome speech at the meeting.
Mr. Wong Fok Loi, David, JP, Director of the Intellectual Property Department, introduced Hong Kong’s intellectual property framework and the work of the Intellectual Property Department at the meeting.
We were honoured to have Mr. Yeung Yun Hung, Kevin, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (fifth from right); Ms. Tracey Armstrong, Chairman of IFRRO (fifth from left); Mr. Wong Fok Loi, David, JP, Director of Intellectual Property Department (fourth from right); Ms. Anita Huss-Ekerhult, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary General of IFRRO (fourth from left); Mr. Tsang Chiu Hok, Victor, Head of Create Hong Kong (third from right); Mr. Woo Wai kwanm Mark, Deputy Commissioner (Control and Enforcement) of Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department (third from left); Mr. Andrew Fong, Chair of IFRRO Asia Pacific Committee (First from right); Ms. Sarah Tran, Policy and Public Affairs Consultant of IFRRO (first left); Mr. Ponch Poon, Chairman of HKRRLS (second from right); Dr. Sharon Wong, Executive Director of HKRRLS and Vice Chair of IFRRO Asia Pacific Committee (second left) and hosted the toasting ceremony and kicked off the welcoming dinner.
We were honoured to have Mr. Yeung Yun Hung, Kevin, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, delivered a welcome speech at the dinner.
Ms. Tracey Armstrong, Chairman of IFRRO, welcomed all the guests to the dinner and thanked all implementation units for their hard work in preparing for the event.
Mr. Ponch Poon, Chairman of HKRRLS (first from left), Ms. Tracey Armstrong, Chairman of IFRRO (second from left), Mr. Yeung Yun Hung, Kevin, GBS JP, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (third from left), Dr. Sharon Wong, Executive Director of HKRRLS and Vice Chair of IFRRO Asia Pacific Committee (second from right), and Mr. Andrew Fong, Chairman of IFRRO Asia Pacific Committee (first from right), and guests enjoyed pre-dinner drinks and the night view of Victoria Harbor on the balcony of the event venue.
The event also featured a Bian Lian performance as a cultural event showcasing the traditional Chinese art form of face changing.
As a hub for cultural and artistic exchange between China and the rest of the world, Hong Kong has seen a growing interest from local writers and publishers to introduce their books to the international market in order to promote Hong Kong’s culture. The combination of technology and publishing can facilitate the international outreach of locally published Chinese books. The “Publishing 3.0 Hong Kong Smart eBook hub” Scheme (“Publishing 3.0”) integrates publishing and A.I. technology to assist the industry in creating high-quality, internationally marketable smart e-books.
In order to help Hong Kong’s e-books and audio books expand into the international market, “Publishing 3.0” participated in the 2023 “Frankfurt International Book Fair” in October. Dr. Sharon Wong, the Executive Chairman (Executive) of the “Publishing 3.0” project committee and the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society, shared the outcomes of the participation at an industry sharing session held on November 30, with over 30 representatives from the publishing industry. The attendees responded rather enthusiastically. The Frankfurt Book Fair is one of the largest copyright trading exhibitions globally and is considered one of the most important exhibitions in international book trade. “Publishing 3.0” participated for the first time, promoting the “Hong Kong Smart eBook Hub” to global e-book purchasers/operators, overseas industry associations, publishing representatives, and authors. According to Dr. Wong, some overseas publishers have shown a special interest in Hong Kong stories, cultural heritage, and other related topics in e-books and audio books collection. The industry agrees that e-books and audio books are important trends in the publishing industry and hopes that more local works can break through geographical and language barriers and enter the overseas market.
Dr. Elvin Lee, the Chairman of the “Publishing 3.0” project committee and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Publishing Federation, also stated that over 60 Hong Kong publishers are currently participating in “Publishing 3.0,” and through the project’s “e-book publishing conversion platform,” 858 Chinese printed books from Hong Kong have been successfully converted into over 4,000 Chinese and English e-books, as well as Cantonese, Mandarin, and English audio books. In 2024, “Publishing 3.0” will strive to continue operating the “Hong Kong Smart eBook Library,” opening up more business opportunities for the Hong Kong publishing industry in the international market.
Dr. Wong revealed at the sharing session that in the future, “Publishing 3.0” will continue to optimize conversion technology, including converting simplified Chinese printed books into Cantonese and Mandarin audio books. The working group will also continue to promote the “Hong Kong Smart eBook hub” by participating in various events and book fairs, including the “Learning and Teaching Expo 2023” held on December 15, 2023, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy in April 2024, and mainland China book fairs, in order to enhance the visibility and influence of the “Hong Kong Smart eBook hub” and help local writers and publishers break into more overseas markets.
Event Highlight: https://youtu.be/OfAIS6kUt0s
With the advancement of technology, e-reading has transformed reading habits of the general public and has become a major trend for the future, especially as students can take advantage of the flexibility and convenience of e-books, as well as the rich online resources that stimulate their interest in reading. In December, the “Publishing 3.0 – Hong Kong Smart eBook hub” hub (“Publishing 3.0”) participated in the prestigious “Learning and Teaching Expo 2023,” sharing the status of electronic reading in Hong Kong with scholars and the public, as well as the challenges and experiences faced by schools in promoting electronic reading.
Dr. Sharon Wong, the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society and Chairman of the “Publishing 3.0” Project Committee, shared some core principles of copyright and the application of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the publishing industry along with its benefits, which can make the publishing of e-books and audiobooks faster and more convenient, thus contributing to the industry’s upgrading and transformation. She also shared how the “eBook Publishing Conversion Platform” of “Publishing 3.0” utilizes AI to translate Chinese books into English.
Professor Benny Zee, Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, also discussed the market demand for reading and learning, analysing the trend of scholars and university students to “listen to books.” He believes that future reading trends need to overcome language barriers, and the “eBook Publishing Conversion Platform” of “Publishing 3.0” uses “text-to-speech translation technology” to translate e-books into Cantonese, Mandarin, and English audiobooks, which can bring more opportunities and development space to the publishing industry. He hopes that “Publishing 3.0” can be promoted to the academic community in the future, establishing cooperation with schools, teachers, and students to use AI to create school-based e-books and audiobooks for learning purposes.
Event Highlight: https://youtu.be/RGz-Ahbddi8
On 27 November 2023, the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society (HKRRLS) held an annual meeting with the HKSAR Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) to discuss and share the ongoing efforts to safeguard intellectual property rights, as well as to hold education seminars for the industry and education sector.
The meeting was attended by representatives from both parties, who exchanged views and experiences on various topics related to intellectual property rights, such as: the importance of protecting intellectual property rights in the digital age; the best practices and lessons learned from successful cases of intellectual property rights enforcement; and the importance of promoting a culture of respect for intellectual property rights.
During the online seminar held on October 28, as part of the Innovation and Technology Carnival (InnoCarnival), Dr. Sharon WONG, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society and the Executive Chairlady (Administration) of the “Publishing 3.0” Organizing Committee, introduced the concept of “Publishing 3.0” and the important milestones of the “e-Book Publishing Conversion Platform”. At the same seminar, Dr. Frank TONG, Director of Research and Development and Technology Development at the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre, also shared insights into the application of AI in the “e-Book Publishing Conversion Platform”. They discussed the digitalization trends in the publishing industry, providing meaningful insights for the future development of “Publishing 3.0”.
Pub 3.0 team is currently joining the “Soaring Creativity – Hong Kong Pavilion” at Frankfurt Book Fair 2023 from 18 to 22 October 2023 to showcase the e-Book Publishing Conversion Platform and the first collection of “Hong Kong Smart e-Book Hub” with 400+ selected Hong Kong-published Chinese e-books that are available for copyright trading and bulk purchase. Dr Wong Yin Yue, Sharon, Executive Director of Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society will also conduct two sharing sessions with the theme “Hong Kong Smart e-Book Hub ”, inviting everyone to ‘explore Hong Kong through reading ‘ during the book fair.
“Hong Kong Smart e-Book Hub” is a collection of selected Hong Kong smart e-books that are available for copyright trading or bulk purchase. Selected Hong Kong-published Chinese books have been translated and converted to e-books in Chinese and English, as well as audiobooks in Cantonese, Putonghua and English by the e-Book Publishing Conversion Platform driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) under the project “Publishing 3.0 – Hong Kong Smart e-Book Hub” (Pub 3.0) . The “Hong Kong Smart e-book Hub” currently features classic works by renowned authors, as well as the latest masterpieces by emerging writers. These publications can be classified into following categories:
Living & Social Lives, History & Biography, Medical Healthcare, Literature & Fiction and Finance & Business.
