Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) The Intellectual Property Office under the Ministry of Economic Affairs will shift its focus from cracking down on pirated compact discs to intellectual property rights infringements on the Internet, according to an official from the office. Encouraged by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's decision to remove Taiwan from its "Special 301 priority watch list," the official said his office is planning to recruit a team of computer experts to crack down on Web sites that illegally provide copyrighted music and software for downloading.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) removed Taiwan from its "Special 301 priority watch list" Jan. 18 in recognition of the island's efforts and progress in intellectual property rights (IPR) protection. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said at that time that Taiwan's efforts in cracking down on commercial piracy and counterfeit products over the past year have been commendable. Zoellick noted, however, that Taiwan can do a better job in protection of patent and innovation rights on pharmaceutical products and agrochemical products since the United States thinks that IPR threats still exist in those areas. (By Maubo Chang) ENDITEM/Li
Leave a comment