The hustle and bustle of one of Hong Kong’s most famous tourist markets was the setting for an exercise involving Law students from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU).
More than 20 second year students studying for their LLB Law toured the vast Ladies’ Market in Mong Kok which is well-known for selling everything from football shirts and sunglasses to watches and handbags at super-low prices.
But not everything at the market is the genuine article and so the students were set the task of scouring the stalls to identify ‘designer’ brands and decide whether they breached intellectual property rights.
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Although it is not illegal to buy what may be deemed as counterfeit goods they can be confiscated at the airport before leaving Hong Kong.
The exercise was just one of the activities for Law students as they spend five days in Hong Kong as part of a mass #DMUglobal trip.
Other events include a working dinner with Hong Kong lawyers to talk about what it is like to practise in South East Asia.
A total of 350 students from all four faculties are in Hong Kong this week for the trip which offers the students study activities relevant to their degrees, enhancing their learning and raising cultural awareness.
Debra Brown, Associate Professor of Law at DMU and a solicitor, said: “The students are here to learn about the importance of intellectual property rights, why we have them and what protection they offer.
“We chose the Ladies’ Market because the students can see how easy it is to sell counterfeit goods in Hong Kong.”
Bethany Pockley, a second year LLB student specialising in human rights and social justice, said: “I think coming to Hong Kong with DMU is an amazing experience.
“I’ve really enjoyed looking around the market, seeing what’s for sale and watching the haggling. I am going to Greece next year for an Erasmus year at DMU. I think spending time abroad and raising your cultural awareness is important.”
Chloe Allen, a fellow LLB student who will also be studying in Greece next year, said: “This has been an amazing opportunity. We all know each other and see each other at lectures at DMU but travelling out to Hong Kong as a group has seen us really bond.”
LLB second year James Solanki, who colleagues said had been ‘a good haggler’ at the market, added: “This is my first time travelling abroad by myself. It can be a daunting thing to do but #DMUglobal has helped me and encouraged me to take the plunge.
“There is so much to do in Hong Kong and so little time. Visiting the Ladies’ Market is peculiar because back home you would not have some of the goods sold here on display so publicly.”
Louise Neilson, a Senior Law Lecturer and barrister, said meeting Hong Kong lawyers this week would be hugely inspirational for the students.“They will meet local lawyers and see how a former British colony now deals with a totally different legal system," she said.
"They can find out more about how you qualify as a lawyer here and how being in a practise differs to the UK. This will give them a taste of life in Hong Kong and perhaps provide them with the inspiration to relocate here.”
Posted on Wednesday 21 March 2018