Importing computer software through unofficial channels would be decriminalised under a proposal to allow more competition, officials said yesterday.
The proposed bill, which is expected to be submitted to the Legislative Council before the end of the year, will also scrap statutory civil proceedings against the parallel import of computer programs.
Parallel imports are products shipped from overseas agents who have a legitimate licence issued by the brand name owner but who are not the official local distributors.
The Business Software Alliance said yesterday the proposal could encourage more counterfeiting and might not lower prices.
But the Deputy Director of Intellectual Property, Peter Cheung Kam-fai, said they were taking the move after gaining majority support from related sectors and legislators they had consulted.
The bill would cover all computer programs, including games, but films and music products would be excluded.
'Under the existing copyright laws, it's both a criminal wrong and civil wrong to parallel import copyright articles,' he said.