I haven’t done a ‘rant’ in a while, but after reading about
some actions that TVB took recently, I decided to take some time out of my busy
schedule to write up this post about it.
As I’m sure most of you have heard by now (since this ‘news’
technically came out last week but only got widely reported on the last day or
so), TVB submitted a requested to the trademarks and patents bureau to ‘trademark’
the HKTV name (in Chinese and English) alongside their own logo – AND THE
REQUEST GOT APPROVED! So basically,
this means that the ‘HKTV’ name now ‘belongs’ to TVB, so anyone who attempts to
use the name without authorization from them could get sued for copyright
infringement (yes, that means Ricky Wong and all the artists /
behind-the-scenes people who work for him aren’t allowed to call themselves ‘HKTV’
employees anymore otherwise they risk being ‘fined’ or even going to jail..).
So what was my reaction the first time I read about
this? I’ll be blunt – my first reaction
was: WTF????? Damn bastards!!
Of course, anyone with even half a brain knows what TVB is
trying to do – since it’s not like TVB is ever going to use the HKTV name
anyway, it’s obvious that they are making this move to ‘spite’ Ricky Wong and
in so doing, ‘kill off’ any chance his company may have had to make a comeback,
which is why I find TVB’s actions absolutely shameful and abhorrent!! I mean, come on now – TVB already emerged
victorious from the TV license battle and they already have a monopoly on the
entire HK television industry, so why is there a need for them to make such a ‘low-blow’
move? Since TVB already won the war, why
not just leave it at that and win graciously rather than ‘beat a dead horse
while it’s down’ like they’re doing now?
Sure, people can argue that TVB has a legitimate claim to
the ‘HKTV’ name, since they used that name in the 70s and 80s – I’m not
disputing that fact at all. To me, the
issue isn’t whether TVB has the right to lay claim to the HKTV name because it’s
obvious they do have the right – the issue I have is with the TIMING of it
all. If TVB truly intended on keeping
the HKTV name or if they are making this ‘trademark’ move without any ulterior
motives (as they claim), then why didn’t they do it back in the 80s or even
90s? Heck, why didn’t they do it 2 years
ago when Ricky Wong announced that he was changing his company’s name from CTI
to HKTV? It’s not like Ricky did it in
secret or anything – he actually held a press conference event announcing his
decision and even mentioned the fact that TVB had used the name in the past. Why wait until now to make such a move? (Honestly, I would like to see TVB ‘explain’
their way out of this – to me, no ‘excuse’ that they manage to come up with is
going to make any sense).
The part that ticks me off the most about this whole issue
is the impact this will now have on HKTV’s artists. I
guess it’s not enough that many HKTV employees were already forced out of a job
because of the TV license decision – in addition to worrying about their
futures and how they’re going to put food on the table, now they also have to worry
about the ‘legal’ ramifications involved if they do something as simple as ‘associate’
themselves with HKTV. So I guess it’s also not enough that TVB
screws over their own employees and mistreats them to the point of being
inhumane – now they feel the need to screw over another company’s employees as
well! Honestly, where is the logic in
that?? I don’t care how much TVB hates
Ricky Wong and wants to get back at him for ‘poaching’ from their company – the
management on both sides can battle it out and kill each other for all I care,
but they shouldn’t drag their innocent employees into the fray and compromise
those employees’ livelihoods, reputations, and dignity!
Obviously, I’m frustrated and, once again, disappointed in
TVB. At
times like this, I’m reminded of Felix Wong’s ‘Totally Very Bad’ moniker for
TVB…well, I’ve come up with a moniker of my own for them: BBB – BIG BAD BULLY!!
On the contrary, I think it is a smart move by TVB. It's not nice in any way, but from TVB's perspective, now they have completely destroyed any and all threat from HKTV. I really don't think TVB will be going after the employees who associate themselves with the trademark, it's just to stop Ricky Wong.
ReplyDelete@miriamfanz: True, from TVB’s perspective, it might be a ‘smart’ move, but if we peel back the layers, is it really? Because if their intention is to ‘stop’ Ricky Wong, it could still backfire because he could always change the name of the company (like he already announced that he’s planning on doing) and continue to do business under a different name. If Ricky Wong is determined to become a real threat to TVB, I’m sure he has ways to do it that don’t necessarily involve forming a TV station named ‘HKTV’…..so in other words, it’s NOT 100% foolproof, which is why I feel that it’s a lame, unnecessary move that does nothing but bring more negative press to TVB. To me, the artists are the ones who are going to suffer more because they are being put in an awkward position – and even though TVB might not necessarily ‘go after’ them (though it’s hard to say because there are quite a few artists obviously on TVB’s blacklist), it’s still not a guarantee that they won’t…why put those artists at risk of doing something illegal like that? They have more important things to worry about (i.e. putting food on the table) than whether they are allowed to use the ‘HKTV’ name or not…
DeleteIt's definitely low on TVB's part. They are really beating HKTV when they're down! They will always be a big bully!
DeleteIf they really wanted the copyright why did they even say, "TVB didn't use that name long ago". Rather than say, they're claim copyright and not allow them to use it when Ricky Wong announced the name 4 years ago?!
Quite frankly Ricky will find a way release his series and continue production. Like what llwy said he already announced that their company will change name and restructure into a production company!
oh so ricky does have a backup plan? whew...I was kinda worried for him after the whole license thing fell through...
Deletebut I wonder when he'll be able to 'stand back' up again....
yeah.. tvb's a jerk. =.=. I'm not even watching their dramas now...totally boycotted them....
urgh, just reading this news makes my blood boil!!!!
Just from the college lecture he gave which many supporters (entire public space was packed) showed up for. You can tell he won't give up so easily. Even if he has a way, he won't disclose it until it's ready. Saying it right now will just give others competitors and the gov opportunities to sabotage his plan. At times like these I really wish Ricky Wong knew some Central China big time officials or donated alot of money to China through business like Lee Ka Sing. It's all about relations.
Delete