The 35th HKTDC Hong Kong Book Fair opened yesterday alongside the 8th HKTDC Sports and Leisure Expo and the 5th HKTDC World of Snacks. The three events, which have attracted more than 770 exhibitors, are running until 22 July at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).To reinforce Hong Kong's position as a regional intellectual property (IP) trading centre, the HKTDC is hosting a series of onsite sales and cultural activities during the fairs. Notably, today’s IP Roundtable and International Publishing Forum provide a platform for industry professionals from 12 countries and regions to explore market trends and exchange insights. Both events are sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), attracting an audience of over 220 publishing professionals and enthusiasts and further strengthening Hong Kong's role as a regional IP trading centre.
Organised by the HKTDC and co-organised by the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society (HKRRLS), the IP Roundtable ran under the theme “A Forward-Looking Copyright Framework – How to Balance Interests Between Innovation and IP Protection”, focusing on how different regions are developing forward-looking copyright frameworks in response to the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI). This year’s event introduced a new business matching session that facilitated over 70 meetings to promote copyright trading and generate commercial opportunities for participants. The event opened with welcome remarks from Jenny Koo, Assistant Executive Director of the HKTDC, followed by opening remarks from Dr Sharon Wong, Executive Director, HKRRLS, who also moderated the discussion session.
The panel discussion featured five distinguished speakers from the UAE, Belgium, Singapore, Japan and the United Kingdom, including Majd Hassan Al Shehhi, Director of The Emirates Reprographic Rights Management Association (ERRA); Sarah Tran, Head of Regional Policy and Public Affairs of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO); Andrew Fong, CEO of the Copyright Licensing and Administration Society of Singapore (CLASS); Toshimichi Ishijima, Secretary General of the Japan Academic Association for Copyright Clearance (JAC); and James Bennett, Head of Rightsholder Relations of The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA).
Majd Hassan Al Shehhi, Director of ERRA, said: “The Hong Kong Book Fair brings together publishers from different places. Unlike other international book fairs that focus on B2B [business-to-business], the Hong Kong Book Fair serves as a B2C [business-to-consumer] platform. I am very happy to participate in the IP Roundtable as it provides an invaluable platform for industry professionals to gain insights into the publishing and IP sectors and explore new business opportunities.” She added that Hong Kong's robust IP protection system and world-class professional services make the city well positioned to act as a regional IP trading centre, viewing it as a great example.
The HKTDC joined with the Hong Kong Publishing Federation Limited to organise the International Publishing Forum today, running under the theme “AI and Publishing”.
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