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| Arnie and Jackie combat piracy ( 01/12/2005 ) | |||||||||
California state governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has joined forces with Hong Kong action hero Jackie Chan to star in a new TV Announcement in the Public Interest (API) to promote the respect of intellectual property rights (IPRS). The API directed by Jonathan Mostow, the director of the movie "Terminator 3 -Rise of the Machines" is a joint effort of the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) and the California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth (CAJOBS). Mr Schwarzenegger who was recently in Hong Kong after a four-day trade mission on the Chinese mainland, announced that "Jackie and I are on a mission to combat piracy" at a luncheon hosted by the American and Hong Kong Chambers of Commerce. "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." A lot at stake for Hong Kong and California He said both Hong Kong and California have a lot at stake. "Hong Kong is the movie capital of Asia so Hong Kong must work closely with California to terminate piracy. Without vigorous intellectual property protection we won't be able to see new special effects movies like Star Wars, Matrix and my favourite movie Terminator 3." Mr Schwarzenegger estimated that the US lost US$250 billion a year to piracy. "Each year we have new technology but who wants to invest in new technology if we cannot safeguard the final product," he said. He called the API a "United Nations production" to create IP awareness. "Jackie is Chinese and I'm Austrian so it's like a UN production on a Hollywood stage." IPD's director Stephen Selby said that the protection of intellectual property rights is 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." The API was recently shown on television channels in Hong Kong, the mainland, Taiwan and Macau. Related links | |||||||||
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