The Miss Hong Kong Pageant 2024 (2024香港小姐競選) has barely started – but we’re already seeing a lot of drama from this year’s event. Following allegations that contestant Kelly Kwok may see an early disqualification, another contestant may soon find herself in trouble for alleged bribery.
Recently, a netizen shared a photo of a billboard located in a city in China, which seems to be rallying votes for Miss HK Pageant preliminary contestant Savannah Chen (陳元元). The billboard consists of a photo of Savannah and the phrase, “Every customer who patronises Zhenfang Seafood Porridge City will receive a free piece of seafood if you successfully vote”. Also spotted on the billboard were the Miss HK and the TVB.com logos.
Allegedly, Zhenfang Seafood Porridge City is a restaurant owned and operated by Savannah’s family, thus the supposed endorsement. However, it’s unknown whether the billboard was put up at the request of the Miss HK contestant or was done without her knowledge. Nevertheless, many netizens began questioning whether offering free food in exchange for votes is considered bribery. It is worth noting that the contestants are free to advertise themselves on social media to gain more votes. However, offering something in return is generally not allowed.
At the same time, some netizens comment on whether the billboard has also potentially committed copyright infringement as it uses the logos of the Miss HK Pageant and TVB. Many argued that such a billboard could not have gotten permission from TVB, so the owner is infringing on the broadcast station’s copyrights. As of reporting, TVB has yet to address the issue of Savannah’s alleged bribery and infringement, so it’s unknown whether she will face disqualification for the billboard.
Savannah’s case isn’t the only issue to have come out of this year’s event. Previously, there were rumours that contestant Kelly Kwok signed with another agency before joining the pageant, which goes against TVB’s contract terms. Unfortunately, not much was shared about that case either so we can only wait to see whether Kelly and Savannah will still make it to the final lineup.
Source: HK01
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