The International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO) Asia Pacific Committee Meeting and Welcoming Dinner 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.