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SCMP Reporter

Reading comprehension
Answer the following questions:
1 According to the proposed amendments to the Copyright Ordinance, what's the punishment internet users may face for sharing copyrighted material online?
a. warning letters from owners of the material 
b. prosecution 
c.  access to the internet blocked
d. a massive fine and long jail term 
2 Under the proposed measures, what should operators of internet forums, discussion boards and social networks do?
a. remove postings with copyright-infringing material as soon as it is found  
b. block users with a copyright-infringement record from getting on their websites
c. warn internet users to take down postings that infringe copyright laws and remove the links if they do not comply 
d. report copyright-infringement cases to police 
3 What are the difficulties cited by online service providers in enforcing the proposed measures?
i) it is hard to track down people who upload illegal material
ii) it is hard to determine how the reposting of a copyrighted file constitutes infringement
iii) there are so many new postings  it would be too costly to check
a. i) only
b. ii) only
c. ii) and iii)
d. all of the above 
4 According to Francis Fong Po-kiu, why would small-scale websites shut down  if the proposed measures were enforced?
a. they don't have the resources to check their website content thoroughly
b. they will lose most subscribers
c. compared with larger online providers, small-scale websites rely more on forums and discussion groups and would be harder hit
d. they cannot afford the potentially high legal fees if they are prosecuted 
Think about
1 Who will lose out if people share copyrighted files without their owners'  permission? What loss will they suffer?
2 How  do you determine if a picture, video, sound clip or text is infringement? How would website operators determine that?
 3 Would it be too  harsh to prosecute people who upload or download copyrighted files on  websites?
4 What, other than what is suggested in the government proposal, can be done to help protect copyright on the internet?
5 Should website operators be held responsible for their subscribers' activities? Should they be prosecuted when subscribers use their websites as platforms to  spread copyrighted material?
Follow-up activities
Look at and discuss with your classmates the proposal tabled to the Legislative Council by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau on November 17:  www.legco.hk/english/index.htm
Answers:
January 19
Reading comprehension: 1. b, 2. c, 3. d, 4. b



liberal studies