HONG KONG: The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) has welcomed the announcement that new legislation will be introduced into the Legislative Council in Hong Kong to tighten the control of unauthorised reception of licensed programme services.
CASBAA, speaking on behalf of 120-member companies, including the major pay-TV channels based in Hong Kong, believes this is a new sign that the authorities are supportive of the industry's position on these issues.
CASBAA CEO Simon Twiston Davies made the following remarks, "The new sanctions on the possession of decoders for commercial purposes are particularly welcome. The new legislation will help with the public recognition of the importance of intellectual property rights (IPR). This is a great start, but it will require political will as well as public support. CASBAA looks forward to working with the Hong Kong government to create a better IPR environment."
"We also welcome the strengthening of the law regarding the unauthorised reception for private usage. This sends a clear message to the community that even the private reception of signals via an unauthorised decoder is not acceptable."
Last month, CASBAA confirmed that civil actions in Hong Kong against two defendants in private prosecutions for allegedly importing and trading in unlicensed satellite TV signal decoding equipment were settled. Five additional cases undertaken by the plaintiffs, Star, CNN, Turner Entertainment Networks Asia, ESPN Star Sports, Discovery Networks Asia and NGC Network Asia, are currently being heard by the Hong Kong courts.