It wasn’t too long ago that the opposition was rejecting the copyright amendment law by calling it the “online Article 23”, a reference to the anti-subversion article in the Basic Law which was never legislated. The reason they gave for opposing the amendment was that it would interfere with legitimate non-commercial use, creative borrowing – and satirical works. Well, it appears that while the protest/riot movement is happy to spoof those they oppose, they lose all sense of humour when they themselves become targets of satire. Suddenly, they get all self-righteous about copyright and intellectual property rights. Goomusic, an independent record label founded by Denise Ho Wan-sze, the singer and anti-government activist, has forced YouTube to delete a video spoof – Wishing for Peace to Return to Hong Kong – of the protest anthem Glory to Hong Kong . The new version has all the lyrics changed so as to be supportive of police and critical of the rioters. Here’s my question: does Ho or Goomusic own the tune of Glory to Hong Kong ? It’s hard to know when the composer has never identified him or herself or come out to claim ownership. The deleted clip is obviously a spoof – the meaning of the lyrics was switched to the opposite of the original; everyone in the chorus and the orchestra wore white, in contrast to black-clad singers and musicians in the original; the simulation of tear gas in a dark background in the original became bright light in the new version. Most provocatively, controversial pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, who was probably behind the production, sang as part of the chorus. The conductor of the original orchestra for the protest tune, a 30-year-old musician only known as “S”, called the new video “a joke” and criticised Junius Ho, a former head of the Law Society, for not knowing about copyright law. But I thought it wasn’t plagiarism when it was satire; that was what opposition lawmakers said in opposing the copyright amendment. Actually, Junius Ho probably knew his law. Unless someone comes forward to claim copyright, Goomusic’s complaint won’t stand up in court. You have to wonder why YouTube deleted the new clip just on its say-so. “S” was at least right that it was a joke; and he and his friends couldn’t take it. But aren’t they taking their own “anthem” too seriously, and in the same way they accused Beijing about the national anthem law?