Kafka Luk has been campaigning against the Copyright Bill for three years and believes robust humour is part of Hong Kong’s online culture
EMILY.TSANG@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 20 December, 2015, 8:02pm
UPDATED : Monday, 21 December, 2015, 2:43am
Kafka Luk Kwun-yu
Kafka Luk Kwun-yu was a 23-year-old physics graduate when he first joined an internet group’s call to go out on the street.
It was in 2012 when he and web users from Keyboard Frontline went out on the streets of Mong Kok to hand out leaflets to the public, in response to the then-Copyright Amendment Bill tabled by the government that year.
The group, founded in 2011, dubbed the new law “Internet Article 23” and saw it as a threat to the freedom and rights of netizens.
It was later withdrawn by the government in the face of strong opposition.
“I am for absolute internet freedom,” said the 27-year-old, who now works in the technology sector. “I believe there should not be any restriction whatsoever on the use of internet.
“The robust sense of humour on the internet is part of Hong Kong’s culture.
“We worry that the law may discourage creativity by creating the fear of falling into a legal trap.”
The bill caught the attention of Luk as he himself was a regular internet user who enjoyed everything that the internet had to provide – from obtaining information, seeking entertaiment, connecting with people, and sharing ideas.
“That was perhaps the first time a group of youngsters cared so much about a policy,” he said.
He added the younger generations should speak up and explain how the cyberworld works, as other key players on the matter might, through an age gap, have limited knowledge about the internet world.
READ MORE: Hong Kong copyright bill explained: Why are people so concerned about this?
Getting involved in Mong Kok was only the beginning of his long fight. Since then, Luk said he has spent numerous hours studying the copyright bill and compared it with other models around the world.
He had to strengthen his knowledge to prepare for debates with their opponents.
He and his group have met with legislators and copyright owners to understand, negotiate and debate further on the matter.
“There are a lot of things I learnt throughout the process. One important thing is that it requires real hard work to understand the depth of the matter and build up your argument. It is good training for the rational and analytical mind.”
For an activist, especially one for an internet group, Luk was surprisingly low profile about his personal life. His Facebook and other social networks did not shed much light on his hobbies.
In contrast with the image of other netizens, Luk said he was never an active “Golden Brother” – the name of a group of web users active on a popular local internet forum, Golden, which is well known for its creative satire.
He was also not the type of internet user who spent a lot of time surfing online forums or playing online video games.
Surprisingly, the science major found his interest lay in literature. It explained why he named himself after his favourite writer, Franz Kafka.
Given that the fight against the upcoming legislation has intensified in recent months, since the government tabled the latest 2014 Copyright Amendment Bill, it was not surprising Luk has become one of the activists in recent rallies against the new bill, alongside other names from the group such as “Mouse Frontline” Kwong Chung-ching and Craig Choy, legal counsel for the group.
The new copyright law aims to tackle online piracy via streaming, which is not covered by the current law.
The government proposed new exemptions for derivative works, such as adaptations of videos, pictures and songs created for the purposes of parody, satire, caricature, pastiche or commentary on current events.
It was named “Internet Article 23”, after the section of the Basic Law that deals with national security legislation as it is seen as a measure to clamp down on freedom of speech and creativity.
In the Legislative Council, pan-democrats proposed three amendments to the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2014 – fair use, user-generated content and contract override .
READ MORE: Filibustering over copyright bill marks final Hong Kong legislative session of the year
Filibustering and debates against the contentious bill continued at the last legislative session of the calendar year and the discussion is due to resume consideration of the bill on January 4.
The Hong Kong Copyright Alliance issued a statement yesterday opposing the three proposed amendments, and urged lawmakers to pass the bill as soon as possible. It described the modernised intellectual property laws as a “long-delayed” move to guarantee the livelihood of the sector.
Alongside other concern groups such as Youngspiration, Keyboard Frontline have organised several rallies and lobbied pro-establishment lawmakers, as well as citizens, to back their opposition to the bill, or pass the three amendments.
But when a large group of emotional young people get together for a protest, things can get out of control easily. An Open University student was arrested last week for possessing chemicals, potassium chlorate, that can be used to create a smoke bomb, near the Admiralty site of a rally. Other members of the ‘black bloc’ gang – named for their preference for black clothing, face masks and sunglasses to conceal their identities – have been identified by police, suspected of being linked to a blast in a rubbish bin outside the Legco complex two weeks ago.
Watch: Lawmakers mobbed during Legco copyright protest
Despite his repeated appeal to the protesters to remain peaceful, Luk admitted that sometimes it is difficult for the organisers to control the crowd.
“We need more rational voices in the debate. We need to understand deeply about the social issues, and be persistent. There is no gain in rushing towards the target,” he said.
Luk said he intended to step down from the frontline of the group after the fight over copyright law.
“Everyone can contribute in different ways for the cause. I will continue to care about the issue, except perhaps in a different role,” he said.
He said he is interested in many more upcoming hot issues concerning internet users’ rights, such as the ordinance on interception of communications and surveillance, and the ordinance about access to computers with criminal or dishonest intent.
“But I had never considered joining any political election,” he said.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1893583/hong-kongs-kafka-27-year-old-tech-worker-leading-fight
