Toy makers plan to protest today against mainland rivals stealing their business by copying ideas and churning out 'identical' cheaper products. About 50 manufacturers will highlight what they say are violations of intellectual property rights by gathering outside the Convention and Exhibition Centre where a major international toy exhibition is being held. 'It's outrageous. We have to spend money inventing the product and they sell it at 60 per cent of our price,' said Shi Kai-biu, president of the Hong Kong Small and Medium Business Association, which is organising the protest. Protesters will target international buyers and traders, as well as consumers attending the Toys & Games Fair. In recent years, many mainland businesses had set up factories and had been able to copy toys created by Hong Kong companies, Mr Shi said. The copied toys were made with poorer quality material and could be sold cheaper because the companies did not have to pay product invention and development costs, he claimed. About 200 of 4,000 Hong Kong companies had folded partly because they lost business to the copycats, Mr Shi said.
