Hong Kong Customs today (July 14) held a graduation ceremony at the Customs Headquarters Building for the first Tutor Course of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Badge Programme for Youth Ambassador organised under the Youth Ambassador Against Internet Piracy Scheme (YAS). A total of 30 Youth Ambassadors were awarded the certificate for completing the Programme. They will assist in various events for promoting the awareness of respect and protection of intellectual property rights amongst the youth.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Deputy Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Lin Shun-yin, said that stringent law enforcement is necessary to fight against infringing activities effectively, but in the long term, it is needed to promote public awareness of respecting and protecting IPR through publicity and education.
"Youngsters are the future of society. It is particularly significant to let them understand the harms of infringing acts and build up their awareness of respecting IPR at an early age," Mr Lin said.
The six-day training programme that the 30 Youth Ambassadors completed was rich in content. Besides having attended a four-day study tour on IPR in Korea co-organised by Hong Kong Customs and the Korea Customs Service, they also participated in training on discipline, leadership and presentation skills. They also attended seminars on customs law enforcement and IPR as well as a workshop on the latest Internet information. Visits to magistrates' courts were arranged, followed by dialogue with a magistrate and the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Acting Deputy Director of Intellectual Property, Ms Joyce Poon, and the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Martin Hui, SC, joined Mr Lin to officiate at the graduation ceremony. They presented the Best Recruit Award, the Best Leadership Award, the Best Team Spirit Award and other awards to the participants with outstanding performance as a recognition of their achievements during the course.
The YAS was first introduced by Hong Kong Customs in collaboration with the Intellectual Property Department and the IPR industry in 2006. It was established to foster youngsters' respect for IPR at an early age, with an aim of building a solid foundation for IPR protection in society by engaging the youth in combating Internet piracy and in participating in various kinds of educational activities on IPR.
The membership of the YAS includes more than 250 000 members from 13 local youth uniformed groups whose ages range between 9 and 25.
In 2016, Hong Kong Customs launched the Programme as a new initiative. Through specially designed training programmes, youths gain opportunities to strengthen their awareness of respect and protection of IPR.
Three levels of courses, namely the Foundation Course, the Advanced Course and the Tutor Course, are offered in phases under the Programme. The first Foundation Course, the first Advanced Course and the first Tutor Course were launched in phases between 2016 and 2018.
Participants who finish all three levels of courses will be awarded the Certificate for completing the Tutor Course and an IPR badge, and become tutors for the Programme. They will be provided with opportunities to play an important role in the promotion and education activities organised by Hong Kong Customs, relevant government departments and various youth uniformed groups in the future.
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