It's Not Always Piracy, Say Hong Kong Engineers
1993; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 36; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1930-0166
Autores Tópico(s)Copyright and Intellectual Property
ResumoA familiar sight in the tourist districts of Hong Kong is the alley wall covered with oil paintings. There are dozens of identical clones of each picture painstakingly copied, brush stroke by brush stroke, from the original. Much technology is subject to similar apparent plagiarism throughout Asia. The phenomenon is rooted in culture and respect for one's teachers and elders. It's not always piracy, says Richard Gibson, an engineer who is now general manager of Hong Kong computing services firm, RCP Consulting. Outright copying is one thing, but Asians have demonstrated a special ability to refine and improve a product. Japanese cars are more popular than American cars because they are both more suitable to local conditions and are seen as being technologically more advanced. Where is the American car with built-in satellite navigation? To see that, you go not to Detroit, but to Tokyo. Thomas Wan, general manager of semiconductor design specialists Valence Semiconductor (HK) Ltd, laments the low level of originality in Hong Kong engineering. definition, engineering should be creative, but the Hong Kong education system and the business environment do not encourage original thought. Aslan Lam, co-founder with former schoolmate Raymond Lee, of Iscola Ltd, a company specializing in electronics R&D, echoes Wan's comment. It is very difficult to find engineers who are willing to explore new ideas. When we get into discussions on a new project, they often stray off into irrelevant detail when what we want to do is brainstorm into new areas. Starting from scratch, a team led by Lam and Lee developed the company's own NotePen, a pen-based input system for personal computers. At an early stage Iscola entered discussions with both Microsoft Corporation and Go Corporation, the leading software houses in this field. Nevertheless, companies originating their own ideas are rare in Hong Kong. SUPPORT FROM OTHER 'TIGERS' Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan all have officially-sponsored institutes charged with building the necessary environment for original R&D. Taiwan's Institute of Technology Research for Industry (ITRI), its academically oriented National Science Institute (NSI), the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and Singapore's National Science and Technology Board (NTSB)l are already giving engineers and researchers the conditions that theory says they need in order to break out of the old mold. By contrast, the Hong Kong Government's stated position is that, since the territory's success has long been based upon a policy of non-intervention, R&D should likewise be left to the private sector. The newly-founded University of Science and Technology has yet to produce its first graduate, and attempts to obtain official figures for financial support of RD in Hong Kong led nowhere. A figure of HK$200 million (US$25.7 million) was mentioned by several semi-official sources, but none could say for certain how, or in what area, the money would be spent. …
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