《2014年版權（修訂）條例草案》將在立法會二讀，網上出現很多言論誤導公眾，歪曲條例的精神，須加以澄清：

一、版權條例的訂立，目的是保護每一個人的創作及表達自由，而並非限制。版權是上天賦予每一個人與生俱來的重要私有財產，每個人都有創作及表達自由，而版權本身是毋須登記，無論富或貧、大公司或小公司，創作出來的作品都會即時同樣平等地受到版權條例的保護，令大家可安心不斷創作和表達，免受抄襲盜竊的威脅。因此，面對新經濟和科技的挑戰，現時不少民主自由的國家，都不斷修訂《版權條例》，為國民的私有財產提供更完善及更有效的保障。

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The Hong Kong Copyright Alliance urges the Legislative Council to endorse the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2014 (“Bill”) to both bolster the freedom of expression and protect the creative sector from online piracy.

“The Bill not only ensures the freedom of expression, but also safeguards intellectual property rights. It is a lifeline for our ailing industry. It is a necessary measure allowing for the proper functioning of our economy in this age of new media and flawless mass digital transmission,” said Alliance convener Ms. Jenny Wong.

The Alliance, representing over 1,400 companies in the creative and entertainment industries in Hong Kong, believes the Bill represents a reasonable balance of interests among the stakeholders. The Bill will:

The public debate on the issues contained in the Bill started over a decade ago. The existing Copyright Ordinance is outdated and fails to provide an effective legal framework to tackle infringements in a new media environment.

“The Bill is long overdue. Prolonging deliberation is not an option as infringing activities have threatened and continue to threaten the survival of much of our industries,” said Ms. Wong.

The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2014 will be tabled for resumption of second reading on 9 December 2015.

# # #
For more information, please contact:

-Mr. Sam Ho
-Ms. Jenny Wong
-Mr. Peter Lam
-Ms. Fiona Wan (Tel: 2375 6669 / 9401 3007)

About Hong Kong Copyright Alliance
Hong Kong Copyright Alliance consists of 16 organizations of the music, film, TV broadcasting, comics and animation, software and information technology sectors with over 1,400 member companies. It is broadly representative of the copyright and creative industries regarding copyright protection in Hong Kong. The 16 organizations are:

Hong Kong’s legislature is nearing final votes on the Copyright Amendments 2014. The amendments are critical to the future of the content industries in the SAR; they bring digital copyright principles to Hong Kong for the first time. The law is in dire need of updating, to take account of legal and illegal digital distribution of copyrighted materials, including entire packages of pay-TV programming. CASBAA, in its submission, noted “The 10 years of delay in formulating…these amendments mean that online piracy problems have grown and changed far beyond the expectations of those who began this process, including both government and industry.” When the bill was first introduced, the broadcasting industry – as well as other copyright-dependent sectors – warned the legislature that Hong Kong is losing jobs to piracy.

CASBAA’s position continues to be strongly supportive of passage of this Act: “we urge the Legislative Council to move as quickly as possible to pass the Bill now on the table. And we urge the government to move quickly to implement – through subsidiary legislation, Codes of Practice, or further improvements to the laws – further measures to stem the massive increase in online piracy of television programming.”

Legislators have proposed many amendments to the legislation. Some of them are spurious and many are purely linguistic, but some raise controversial issues, including proposing to give netizens the right to publish whatever content they want under the guise of “user-generated programming,” to institute a US-style “fair use” system (without US common law underpinning it), and to void contracts that might constraint their ability to do permitted acts. Some of these issues have not been considered before in the legislature, and others were debated years ago; we oppose their ill-considered inclusion at the last minute in this legislation, but will welcome more systematic and inclusive consultation by the government on these topics, after the legislature meets the vital need for action, now.

12 November 2015

GENEVA, Switzerland – Major inter-governmental and private-sector organizations responsible for providing safety-of-life communications to millions of people have requested the national administrations of every region to preserve satellite spectrum for use in delivering mission-critical satellite services worldwide.

The unprecedented demonstration of support for satellite spectrum was made during a series of briefings held at the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU’s) World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), where the wireless industry is attempting to get access to satellite spectrum despite reports that previous efforts have already disrupted communications services with serious interference.

Included among those calling for safeguarding of satellite services were the United Nations World Food Program and Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the World Meteorological Organization, the World Broadcasting Unions, NetHope, the International Maritime Organization, and the Space Frequency Coordination Group, a group of space agencies from throughout the world.

In a joint statement issued by an international coalition of seven non-profit associations representing the global satellite communications sector, the show of support was strongly commended: “The high level of support from these organizations makes clear the importance of satellite communications in C band spectrum and how further disruption of safety-of-life services due to wireless interference is unacceptable.”

As governments consider whether any portion of the 3400-4200 MHz band (“C band”) should be identified for IMT, they have heard from the safety-of-life organizations during a series of briefings held for the inter-governmental groups of each major world region, including the Arab Spectrum Managers Group (ASMG), Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT), the Conference Europeenne de Postes et Telecommunications (CEPT), the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), and the RCC & Commonwealth of Independent States.

“Some administrations may be under a misimpression,” the coalition statement continued. “It is not necessary to support IMT identification if they have already authorized WiMax or other terrestrial wireless services. An identification for IMT is not required to make WiMax or other authorizations comply retroactively with ITU rules. No ITU rule change is required at the WRC in order to enable national deployments of WiMax or other wireless services.”

Background

1. Realistic solutions to protect existing satellite links in C band have not been identified; migration of IMT services to this band would cause more extreme harm to the global community that relies heavily on satellite services.

It is clear from the most recent reports and studies from the ITU that mitigation techniques, such as separation distance, earth station shielding, or the use of filters on satellite receive antennas, to block interference from IMT networks into satellite networks are often ineffective and moreover would be far too severe to be justifiable from a technical or economic perspective. This means that in practice, mitigation measures would not be effectively implemented. Furthermore current IMT proposals offer no protection for FSS receive-only earth stations, which are deployed broadly and on a licence-exempt basis in many countries.

Within the last few months, satellite stakeholders have experienced further degradation of services in some parts of the world due to terrestrial mobile operations using the same C band frequencies. For example, millions of Philippine citizens’ television signals were disrupted due to interference from mobile services. Similar cases of interrupted service were also reported in South Asia, South America, the Caribbean, and Africa. These are not isolated incidents – disruption of C-band satellite services from terrestrial wireless interference has been taking place around the world since 2006.

It is understood that this has been the result of Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) systems being deployed in the C band. However, the negative effects will be far more wide-reaching in the case of terrestrial mobile IMT broadband services, which have larger coverage requirements and are expected to transmit at higher rates and consequently with more power.

2. Global and national studies indicate that less than 50% of the spectrum currently allocated to IMT is in use.

Claims have been made that mobile broadband will need between 1100 and 1900 MHz more spectrum by 2020, even though IMT is not using most spectrum currently assigned for its use. In anticipation of the growth of the mobile industry, the ITU has already allocated and/or recommended a substantial amount of spectrum for use by IMT. Around the world less than 50% of this spectrum is licensed and even less is in use according to a recent detailed study on the subject by LS Telcom.

It would be unwise to unnecessarily reassign spectrum used for other often-critical services. IMT can achieve its growth targets without a need for the additional spectrum they are requesting, often on the basis of predictions, population density and traffic numbers that are grossly exaggerated.

Conclusion

New and existing C band satellite services are actually bridging the digital divide. It is the duty of the international community to safeguard these vital services. The effects of failing to do so fall disproportionately on the developing world and rural areas. IMT should be directed to use their current frequency allocations fully and more effectively, or concentrate its planning for additional allocations to other, more appropriate bands.

Editor’s Note:

This press release has been prepared by the Asia Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC), Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA), EMEA Satellite Operators’ Association (ESOA), Global VSAT Forum (GVF), Interference Reduction Group (IRG), Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), World Teleport Association (WTA), and other international associations of the satellite industry.

For More Information Visit: www.satellite-spectrum-initiative.com

5 November 2015, Singapore – The second edition of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF) will run from 26 November to 6 December 2015, with a stronger line-up of events featuring a new constituent event “Digital Matters”. More than 17,000 are expected to attend the SMF, including members of the public and media professionals such as filmmakers, producers, programme buyers, digital content creators and celebrities.

SMF will bring together five constituent events this year: Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF), ScreenSingapore (SS), Asian Television Awards (ATA) as well as the latest addition to the festival- Branded Ltd.’s Digital Matters. These events firmly establish the SMF as a key connector for global media players in Asia and beyond.

At the media briefing hosted by the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), event partners and the Chairman of the SMF Advisory Board shared their vision and goals for the Festival.

New focus on digital content

The second edition of the SMF will have a stronger focus on digital content. Recognising that digital content is the way forward to reach out to a global audience, SMF has included Branded Ltd.’s Digital Matters as one of its new constituent events. With a combined reach of almost 10 million subscribers, YouTube stars Alfie Deyes and Marcus Butler will be heading the cast at Digital Matters. They will be joined by leaders in the online entertainment and brand marketing space including Bing Chen, Chief Creative Officer from Victorious, Josh Black, Chief Executive Officer of GroupM Entertainment and Susana Tsui, Chief Executive Officer of PHD Asia Pacific.

For SGIFF, the Festival will launch a new The Future of Cinema forum series, focusing this year on digital distribution. The forum will explore how independent filmmakers now have increased access to new platforms that allow them to premiere their works and reach wider audiences. Director of Audience Development and Content Operations at Vimeo, Peter Gerard (USA), heads the panel of speakers, along with filmmakers James Lee (Malaysia), Christian Lee and Jason Chan (Singapore). The forum is moderated by Singapore filmmaker and SGIFF Board Member Tan Pin Pin.

ATF’s pre-market conference will also be helmed by notable business leaders who will shed valuable insights on the Asian content industry including digital content trends and evolving business models in content creation and consumption.

Greater opportunities for investment into the region

This year, the SMF will open up more avenues for strategic partnerships, creative collaborations and investment opportunities into the region. ATF will host several TV masterclasses for producers, including sessions by Melodie L. Shaw, from the Writers Guild of America, and Dave Winnan, Executive Producer, International Formats from ITV Studios. Those in the film business will also benefit from ScreenSingapore’s new partnership with the Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA) to run the Southeast Asian Film Financing Project Market, where 10 in-development fiction and non-fiction feature film projects will partake in the project market. They will be matched with commissioner, investors and co-production partners to bring their project to fruition.

Robert Gilby, Chairman of the SMF Advisory Board and Managing Director of the Walt Disney Company (SEA) said, “Our stronger focus on digital content at this year’s SMF promotes greater collaboration and partnership across the Film, TV and digital sectors – a key differentiator from other traditional film and TV events”. He added, “The new elements at this year’s SMF will also strengthen investment opportunities for media players, establishing SMF’s valued position as a key connector and platform for global media players venturing into Asia, and for Asian media professionals going global.”

Celebrating and showcasing the best of regional talent and beyond

The SMF will continue to showcase quality works from Singapore and the region on an international stage. The SGIFF will pay tribute to acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf with an Honorary Award, and a special retrospective of five of his works. Makhmalbaf’s films have featured regularly in the Festival over the years, each reflecting his unyielding perseverance and conviction to convey the stories of Iran and its people through film. In recognising his lifelong dedication and contribution to cinema, the Festival hopes that Makhmalbaf’s efforts will inspire future filmmakers in Singapore and the region to continue telling the Asian story in profound ways.

The spirit of celebrating the best talent and content from the region also remains a key element of SMF. The ATA will unveil a series of “Firsts” for the prestigious awards. For the first time, ATA will be broadcasted “live”, expanding the reach of the awards to more than 80 million households across Asia. The ATA will also award the achievement award this year to Mr Liu Changle, founder, Chairman and CEO of Phoenix Satellite Television, to honour and celebrate his contributions. Under his charge, the group has gone on to own six Satellite TV Channels and merged many business fronts, including new media, outdoor LED, weekly magazine, publishing, radio broadcasting and education, covering over 180 countries and regions. Mr. Liu is also the Chairman of the iEMMYs Festival, which is run by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and recipient of numerous titles including “Top 10 Most Innovative Media Entrepreneurs in Mainland China”, “Leader of Global Mandarin TV Program Providers” and “Outstanding Figure in Media Branding”.

SMF offers exciting line-up for the public

The public can expect to see an exciting showcase of the best talent and content from Singapore and the region at the SGIFF and ATA. As part of the SGIFF’s key role in the discovery of independent cinema, members of the public can look forward to a quality line-up of screenings. The international premiere of Taiwanese indigenous film, Panay, is set to open the Festival on 26 November, while two iconic films of Singapore cinema – Eric Khoo’s Mee Pok Man and Yonfan’s Bugis Street Redux – have been included as part of the Classics segment, both marking their 20th anniversaries this year with special cast reunions. ATA’s celebrity line-up will feature some of Asia’s most outstanding acts and individuals. The star-studded show will include performances from Indonesia’s very own gem Anggun, and see Allan Wu, Joey Mead King, Max Loong and Stephanie Carrington join as hosts for the evenings.

Digital Matters will showcase the future of online entertainment by mixing content industry professionals and leading social media influencers together with their followers in a conference setting. With an eye firmly on developing future talent, Digital Matters will also introduce a slew of teen-focussed creative workshops and meet-and-greet sessions with online stars.

“We achieved several milestones and successes in our inaugural year for the Singapore Media Festival, and we hope to continue building on these to make the festival a signature event not just for media professionals, but also everyone in Singapore,” said Angeline Poh, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry) of Singapore’s Media Development Authority. “The public can look forward to a host of exciting events and screenings, which makes the SMF a great platform for film buffs and digital media fans to appreciate regional content and meet local and regional talent,” she added.

For its inaugural year, more than 15,000 people took part in the SMF. Its constituent events also celebrated success, with ATF and SS welcoming 4,800 attendees, 1,300 exhibitors and registering SGD 355.1 million in sales deals; while the Singapore International Film Festival returned with an impressive line-up of 147 films from 50 countries.

More information on SMF can be found at: http://www.sgmediafestival.com/

About Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA)
The Media Development Authority of Singapore (www.mda.gov.sg) promotes the growth of globally competitive film, television, radio, publishing, games, animation and interactive digital media industries. It also regulates the media sector to safeguard the interests of consumers, and promotes a connected society. MDA is a statutory board under the Ministry of Communications and Information (www.mci.gov.sg).

About Singapore Media Festival (SMF)
The Singapore Media Festival, hosted by Media Development Authority is set to become one of Asiaʼs leading international media events, where the industry meets to discover the latest trends, talents and contents in Asia for Film and TV. It brings together established media events – Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore (SS), Asian Television Awards (ATA) and Digital Matters, which will take place from 26 November to 6 December 2015. For more information about the Singapore Media Festival, please visit www.sgmediafestival.com.

Media Contacts

Yvette Lim
FleishmanHillard
Direct Line: +65 6424 6959
HP: +65 9451 8478
Email: Yvette.Lim@Fleishman.com

Priscilla Gan
Executive, Industry Communications
Communications
Media Development Authority
Tel: +65 8322 0337
Email: priscilla_gan@mda.gov.sg

Natalie Ahl
FleishmanHillard
Direct Line: +65 6424 6381
HP: +65 8338 2892
Email: Natalie.Ahl@Fleishman.com

Joannah Zhong
Executive, Industry Communications
Communications
Media Development Authority
Tel: +65 9728 9956
Email: joannah_zhong@mda.gov.sg

Annex A

Quotes from SMF partners

Cindy Ng, Managing Director of Asian Television Awards, is pleased that ATA will be collaborating again with Singapore Media Festival, “We are glad to be part of a creative group that unites and endorses creative professionals in the region. This collaboration recognises every spectrum of media that empowers our screens today. This includes quality films screened by SGIFF and ScreenSingapore; a marketplace to produce, distribute and exchange ideas presented by ATF and Branded’s Digital Matters and last but not least, a platform by ATA to celebrate and honour the very best in Asian television. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, ATA continues to recognise excellence in programming, production and performance, and received well over 1,400 entries from across 16 countries this year. This year, with our first ever LIVE broadcast, we strive to bring the show to over 80 million household in the region. This will not only promote Singapore’s efforts in recognising each territory’s home-grown talent, but also spread to unite Asia-Pacific to collectively witness the Awards from the comfort of their homes.”

Yeow Hui Leng, Senior Project Director of Reed Exhibitions Singapore said “Reed Exhibitions is thrilled to once again bring the Asia Television Forum (ATF) and ScreenSingapore to content buyers, distributors and industry players within the region. In conjunction with the Singapore Media Festival (SMF), the ATF and ScreenSingapore continue to remain the premier content conference and market for television and film in Asia. Participants can look forward to engaging in intensive workshops and knowledge transfer as they learn insights from the industry’s thought leaders through the conference, while the market promises endless possibilities for partnerships and content deals.”

Jasper Donat, Chief Executive Officer of Branded Ltd said, “If you want to understand the future, ask a teenager! I am delighted that we can showcase a whole new world of online entertainment through the lens of the fans themselves. Through our best in class industry conference and our fan focused creative workshops for teens, Digital Matters hopes to add unique insights and collaboration opportunities to the already impressive line-up of events during the Singapore Media Festival.”

Mike Wiluan, Chairman of Singapore International Film Festival said “The Singapore International Film Festival aims to be a catalyst in the development of our film and media industry, nurturing and bringing together a rich mix of established and emerging talents. By paying tribute to acclaimed Iranian filmmaker, Mohsen Makhmalbaf – a man who has used cinema profoundly as a tool to create change and convey hope – we also hope to expand conversations and perspectives on filmmaking, and inspire future generations of filmmakers to continue telling the Asian story.”

Singapore, 17th September 2015: The curtain fell on the annual Sports Matters conference at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Maurizio Barbieri of Samsung, said: “This is a time of change in the sports industry and we are excited and proud to be driving this period of growth. We have seen new players entering the market these past two years and there will be more coming in over the next two years. We continue to have high hopes for the industry and Sports Matters remains the destination event for the business of sport.”

The content-rich programme ended with two overriding messages for the industry: Be here, and connect with your fans. Much of the talk on Day Two centred on China and it’s coming of age. Hang Yu, Vice President Sports, LeTV Sports delivered a powerful and honest appraisal of the recent changes in his market: “There is no doubt that the sports industry in China is booming however the most important thing for LeTV is to get more people to participate in sports whether they watch online video content or attend events. We need to solidify a foundation of sports fans.”

This was recognised by those outside China too. Andrew Georgiou, CEO, World Sport Group acknowledged that “Everyone’s been talking about China for 20 years and here we are… and we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
Sports Matters mission statement is to create the foundation for a sustainable Asian sports industry. The gathered speakers reminded the attendees to keep this in mind as the two days progressed: Is it sustainable?

Right from the outset, opening keynote speaker Zubin Gandevia, President, Asia Pacific & Middle East, FOX International Channels commented: “The issue is not so much whether the Asian sports industry is sustainable, but it’s more about how we can work together to optimise the massive potential it has. That’s the beauty of being at a nascent stage with so much momentum”

Sports Matters will be back in 2016. For the latest information: www.sportsmatters.asia

# # #

For media enquiries, please contact:
Sammy Shirra-Moore
sammy@branded.asia
+65 9298 5295

Anica Bussell
Fast Track
anica.bussell@fasttrackagency.com
+65 9129 4652

About Sports Matters
Sports Matters is a co-production between Branded and Haymarket Media dedicated to building strong foundations for a healthy and sustainable Asian sports industry. This C-level dynamic event provides a global platform in Asia for debate, an opportunity to build commercial relationships and a unique brand involvement never before seen at a sports industry event.

Convening at the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on 16-17th September 2015, Sports Matters embraces the entire sports industry value chain from governing bodies, rights holders and sponsors, to broadcasters and agencies. A compelling and apposite programme will feature core interviews, expert panel analyses, thought leadership presentations and must-attend interactive forums.

Supported by the Singapore government and carefully selected trade and media partners, Sports Matters is a must attend for stakeholders the business of sport in Asia Pacific.

About Branded Ltd.
Branded designs, sells, markets and produces amazing B2B2C and B2B2F(an) events in Asia. Founded in 2002 and listed as a top 10 Event Marketing agency by Marketing magazine, our focus is to add value and grow the media, sports and entertainment industries in Asia.

We are experts in the organisation, programming and production of dynamic conferences, live music festivals, academies and youth fan events in Asia. Our properties include Digital Matters, Music Matters, Social Matters, Sponsorship Matters, Music Matters Live, the Music Matters Academy, YouTube FanFest and YouTube FanFest Academy (part of the All That Matters series), Sports Matters and MixRadio Music Connects.

Branded is an independent company staffed by passionate multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-talented individuals with offices in Hong Kong and Singapore.

About Campaign Asia-Pacific
Campaign Asia-Pacific is a brand dedicated to the business of communications in Asia-Pacific. Published by Haymarket Media Group, the UK’s largest independently owned publishing group, it is part of a global marcoms portfolio that includes market-leading titles Campaign, Marketing and PRWeek. Campaign Asia-Pacific aims to deliver essential insights and intelligence for advertising, marketing, media and PR professionals. Across many platforms, the brand delivers deep and broad analysis of industry trends and developments. As well as a subscription-based magazine, it publishes up-to-the-minute news, research and data, as well as opinions and blogs on campaignasia.com and delivers daily e-newsletters for Asia-Pacific and China (in Chinese language). Campaign organises a number of conferences, awards and training programmes, as well as festivals, such as Spikes Asia, which are part of a joint-venture with Cannes Lions. www.campaignasia.com/top1000

About a year ago, in a few cities in the Philippines, tens of thousands of cable TV customers began reporting that the TV channels they were used to watching on their local cable systems weren’t working right. The reason was that a telco, putting an old frequency license to new use, had begun rolling out an LTE wireless system in those cities in the 3.5 GHz band.

As time passed, more and more cities have been affected. Mitigation measures took months to implement, with cable customers and cable operators bearing the cost in terms of equipment upgrades and huge customer disruptions. Some channels are lost forever; others can be restored.

The Philippine Cable TV Association (PCTA) an association of small-to-medium cable TV enterprises in the provinces, who have been most affected by the interference, produced a short video documentary, recording the problems their members have suffered…..and their urgent hope that the problem can be brought under control. On the video, Jose Luis Dabao (PCTA VP for the Visayas islands) says

“The cable TV community is extremely worried that as the rollout continues…the cable TV customers may experience even more problems than we currently are. More channels and many more cities and towns will be affected. If telcos start deploying LTE signals in standard C-band, as we have heard they may, we will not be able to receive any of our satellite C-band channels at all.”

The video is an important testimony from the grassroots, in a tropical developing country – typical of so many tropical countries which rely heavily on C-band satellite transmissions. It gives the lie to the mobile industry lobbyists who claim that their signals (ubiquitous and powerful) can co-exist in near frequency bands with others. It’s well worth watching.