FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
PETER is having lunch with three GENTLEMEN.
PETER (V.O.): Few weeks ago, we had a chat at Gentleman#1's place. We shared thoughts on a possible grand project.
Appetizer is being served.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): It was like an ad hoc think-tank. I then worked out a business model for all to consider.
Soup is being served.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For any big project, capacity and support are key success factors.
Peking duck is being served .
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Then, Gentleman#1 made a reservation here as the 4 of us can have lunch together.
Fish is being served.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Would the 4 of us become a "do-tank"? Or is it a Chinese New Year gathering?
Act 2
INT. RESTAURANT - CONTINUOUS
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In 2019, we were the panel speakers of a HKU Workshop on Hong Kong IP Men.
Pausing
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Workshop was a sequel an earlier one on Hong Kong IP Women.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The 4 of us were HKU law graduates of different years. Our common practice is IP.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Gentleman#1 began in the early 1970s. I began working with him during the IP law reform process in the late 1980s. I've benefited a lot from his wisdom.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If I was admitted to Law School immediately after matriculation, I'd be in the same class as Gentleman#2. In his private IP practice, he has been working with Gentleman#1.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Gentleman#3 was three years junior to me in our HKU law studies. I worked with his mentor; and that was how we came to know each other. His mentor began IP practice during the 1967 Hong Kong riots.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The 4 of us have witnessed first hand how IP policy, law and practice in Hong Kong have been developed.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We've several decades of IP stories to tell. We 've made history in our own special ways.
Gentleman#1 makes a remark.
GENTLEMAN#1: Although it's part of the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong has been very slow in moving forward.
PETER (V.O.): People in Hong Kong don't have the risk-taking mindset.
Pausing.
GENTLEMAN#1: Just across the border, entrepreneurs just do it.
PETER: Yes, we think a lot, while they do a lot.
GENTLEMAN#1: And they get rapid results.
PETER (V.O.): So Hong Kong has become the South of Shenzhen.
GENTLEMAN#1: Incidentally, would that institute be a good partner?
GENTLEMEN#2 & #3: No, it's so bureaucratic...
PETER: There's a way out, if ...
GENTLEMAN#1: If you sound that out, another institute will free-ride on it.
Pausing.
GENTLEMAN#1 (Cont'd): You've talked about IP Securitization. Others are working on it now.
Pausing.
GENTLEMAN#1 (Cont'd): We've to pick a low-hanging fruit. We can't wait for something that might happen when we're long gone.
PETER (V.O.): True.
Act 3
INT. RESTAURANT - CONTINUOUS
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We'd talk about the things we've gone through. And we always do our best.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Surrounded by similar circumstances, we've our own distinctive destinies.
Peter's tea cup is being filled.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I feel our chat is filled with friendly love and reciprocal devotion.
Peter reciprocates.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We aren't a family. But I believe we feel like a family.
Dessert is being put on the table.
FADE OUT.
THE END
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