Local youths had vague ideas about intellectual property rights (IPR) as their friends and families continued to act against the related laws.

These were the findings of a survey conducted from May to August, by the Yan Chai Hospital Wong Wha San Secondary School and supervised by an academic from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU).

A total of 2,167 students from Primary 5 to Form 7 responded to the questionnaires, while 51.8 per cent are aged 14 or below. Over 90 per cent own at least one computer at home and have access to broadband Internet service at home.

The youngsters in general lack understanding of intellectual property, as close to a half (48.22 per cent) admitted to having limited knowledge of the subject. Only 27 per cent are familiar with local intellectual property laws.

With vague ideas about the violation of intellectual property, close to 60 per cent consider the downloading or sharing of copyrighted music, movies and software "acceptable" or "unproblematic".

Fifty-five per cent download or share such materials at least once a month, while about 30 per cent are regular users of pirated computer software. About 33 per cent photocopy textbooks or reference materials regularly.

"Most of these students want to save money, while others find it convenient to simply download things online," said Au Yuet-ching, principal of Yan Chai Hospital Wong Wha San Secondary School.

Economic considerations may be the main reason behind parents' turning a blind eye towards the issue, since over 44 per students said their parents had never interfered with their downloading or sharing copyrighted materials.

While Spencer Lee, deputy CEO of the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong (CASH), believed that education on intellectual property should be strengthened for young children.

Chung Kim-wah, Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Social Sciences, PolyU, noted that education for parents was equally important.

"The last generation may have minimal idea about intellectual property and that's why they don't stop their children from violating it," Chung said.

(HK Edition 10/10/2006 page2)