Govt launches consultation on new copyright law

The government has launched a two-month public consultation exercise on proposed subsidiary legislation under the Copyright Ordinance. Suggested changes include a limit on how much of a library item can be copied by a user, with 10 percent of the work in question mooted as a reasonable amount. "The current Copyright Libraries Regulations use a word-counting approach. Ten percent of the content is only a reference. We would like the new subsidiary legislation to provide a guideline for a reasonable proportion of copying, instead of a strict definition," Assistant Director of Intellectual Property Sandra Hui told RTHK on Friday. Another change would involve requiring library users to sign a declaration stating that copies made are only for research or study purposes. The public have until April 15 to submit their views on the proposed legislation.