California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hong Kong movie star Jackie Chan have joined Hong Kong government in protecting intellectual property rights by featuring in a new TV promotion.

Speaking at a launching luncheon Friday organized by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce, Schwarzenegger, who is currently visiting Hong Kong, said stamping out piracy is good for trade, good for global economies and good for consumers.

"The illegal duplication and marketing of all sorts of products, from medical equipment to DVDs, is stealing from the workers who design and manufacture the real goods, harming the consumers who purchase the fakes and hindering job growth," the movie-star-turned governor said.

Shot in California in September and directed by Jonathan Mostow, the director of the movie "Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines," the TV Announcement in the Public Interest (API) will start to be broadcast on local television and buses from Friday.

Stephen Selby, director of the Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department, said that the protection of intellectual property rights is an issue of global concern.

"This API is the result of cooperation between Hong Kong and the United States. It shows a strong determination to fight piracy.Apart from effective enforcement measures to combat piracy and counterfeiting, a soft-sell approach like this API is an additional measure to bring this message to the public," Selby said.

"We are so glad that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan have agreed to feature in the API," he added. " Their contribution was made without a fee. We believe that the impact of this API will be phenomenal."

"Speaking as a business owner, I can tell you that pirating of intellectual property is no different than a thief walking into your store and stealing your merchandise," said Warren Hellman, co-chairman of the California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth, which teamed up with the Hong Kong department in the piracy-fight efforts.

Source: Xinhua