NZFACT JOINS NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT IN ENCOURAGING RESPECT FOR IPR AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE
Innovative Competition Encourages Creativity and Builds Awareness of the Value of Intellectual Property Among Secondary School Students
Hong Kong / Auckland – Tony Eaton, Executive Director of The New Zealand Federation Against Copyright Theft (NZFACT), representing the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in New Zealand, today joined New Zealand’s Associate Commerce Minister Judith Tizard and other creative industry representatives at a prize-giving ceremony celebrating the creativity and hard work of young New Zealanders.
Competition winner, Yang Gan, a Year 13 student at Hutt International Boys' School, Wellington, designed a logo and poster with a message encouraging people to respect copyright laws. There has been some commercial interest in Yang's work and it is also likely that T-shirts designed from another competition entry will be put into production.
“Yang Gan and two of his fellow students demonstrated with their creations the flair and creativity that drives our intellectual property regime,” said Minister Tizard. “I am delighted to be part of this event that helps to raise the awareness of intellectual property, especially among our youth who continue to amaze us with their fearlessness when it comes to creations of the mind.”
“Enforcement will always have a role in protecting movies from piracy but education, particularly among young people, is our highest priority,” said NZFACT’s Tony Eaton. “We believe that as awareness of the economic damage caused by movie piracy increases, more people will turn away from piracy and watch and buy legitimate movies. Young people are the key: today’s students are tomorrow’s creators and developers of intellectual property. Respecting copyright will ensure a vibrant creative economy for New Zealand and a bright future for the next generation of creators.”
“We congratulate the Ministries of Education and Economic Development of New Zealand on this excellent initiative and the success of this competition,” said Mike Ellis, President and Managing Director, Asia-Pacific for MPA. “As we focus on reaching out to young people across this region, educational programs and school competitions such as this are of primary importance. We look forward to continuing our support on the education front in New Zealand."
Respecting Creativity Competition 2008
The student competition, administered by the Ministry of Education with the active support of the Ministry for Economic Development and the Copyright Council of New Zealand, will be run again in 2008 with the theme of respecting creativity. Students can choose between developing design work, a short film, soundtrack or article for an intellectual property rights campaign aimed at their peers in the under-18 age group. The competition is open to all Year 11 to 13 students (15 to 18 years old) with a closing date of October 28.
Students can kill two birds with one stone by entering the competition – entries can be developed as part of the assessment of relevant achievement standards and unit standards in a wide range of creative courses.
Full details of the 2008 competition can be found at www.nzfact.co.nz and www.lovemusic.co.nz/site/
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Piracy in New Zealand
A study undertaken by independent research firm LEK Consulting on behalf of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) showed that piracy cost the film industry in New Zealand an estimated 25 percent of the potential market in 2005 – $70 million. Internet piracy via P2P file-sharing networks is a significant concern and accounts for the majority of New Zealand movie industry losses – an estimated $33 million in lost consumer spending in 2005. NZFACT represents the MPA in New Zealand.
Piracy in Asia
A comprehensive study aimed at producing a more accurate picture of the impact that piracy has on the film industry including, for the first time, losses due to internet piracy, recently calculated that the MPA studios lost US$6.1 billion to worldwide piracy in 2005. About US$2.4 billion was lost to bootlegging*, US$1.4 billion to illegal copying* and US$2.3 billion to Internet piracy. Of the US$6.1 billion in lost revenue to the studios, approximate US$1.2 billion came from piracy across the Asia-Pacific region, while piracy in the U.S. accounted for US$1.3 billion.
In 2007, the MPA’s operations in the Asia-Pacific region investigated more than 36,200 cases of piracy and assisted law enforcement officials in conducting nearly 13,000 raids. These activities resulted in the seizure of more than 31 million illegal optical discs, 40 factory optical disc production lines and 6,400 optical disc burners, as well as the initiation of more than 10,000 legal actions.
*Bootlegging: Obtaining movies by either purchasing an illegally copied VHS/DVD/VCD or acquiring hard copies of bootleg movies. *Illegal copying: Making illegal copies for self or receiving illegal copies from friends of a legitimate VHS/DVD/VCD. *Internet piracy: Obtaining movies by either downloading them from the Internet without paying or acquiring hard copies of illegally downloaded movies from friends or family. About NZFACT: The New Zealand Federation Against Copyright Theft was established in 2005 by the Motion Picture Association to protect the film industry in New Zealand from the adverse impact of copyright theft. NZFACT works closely with its members, government and enforcement authorities to protect the New Zealand film and television industry, retailers and movie fans. NZFACT members include: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, New Zealand; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Releasing International Corporation; Twentieth Century Fox International Corporation; Universal International Films, Inc.; and Warner Bros. Pictures International, a division of Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. About the MPA: The Motion Picture Association and Motion Picture Association - International (MPA) represent the interests of major motion picture companies in the global marketplace. On behalf of its member companies, the MPA conducts investigations around the world, assists with the criminal and civil litigation generated by such cases, and conducts education outreach programs to teach movie fans around the world about the harmful effects of piracy. The MPA directs its worldwide anti-piracy operations from its headquarters based in Los Angeles, California and has regional offices located in Brussels (Europe, Middle East and Africa), São Paulo (Latin America), Montreal (Canada) and Singapore (Asia-Pacific). The MPA’s anti-piracy activities have helped to transform entire markets from pirate to legitimate, benefiting video distributors, retailers, and foreign and local filmmakers alike. The MPA member companies include: Buena Vista International, Inc.; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Releasing International Corporation; Twentieth Century Fox International Corporation; Universal International Films, Inc.; and Warner Bros. Pictures International, a division of Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. For more information about the MPA, please visit www.mpa-i.org. |
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For more information, contact:
Mike Ellis
MPA Asia-Pacific
65-6253-1033
Margaret Fu
MPA Asia-Pacific
852-2785-8677
Tony Eaton
NZFACT
64-9-360-8036