Taiwan Still on the Watch List.

　The US pronounced the “Special 301 List” and Taiwan still remains on the “Watch List” of intellectual-property-right (IPR) violators.

 

　On Jan. 19, 2005, the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office released the result of its special 301 “out-of-cycle review” and lowered Taiwan's status from the “Priority Watch List” to a less severe rating on the “Watch List,” in recognition of Taiwan’s efforts to improve IPR protection. However, the US did not remove Taiwan from the Watch List when announcing the Special 301 List for 2005. To this, Wen-Hsiang Lu, the Deputy Director of Intellectual Property Office, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, maintained that compared with other countries on the list, Taiwan’s efforts should have “removed the nation’s name from the Special 301 List.” 

 

　In the 2005 Special 301 report, the US made positive comments on what Taiwan has done in enacting and implementing the protection laws over the past years; for instance, judicial reform of the Copyright Law and Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, strengthening the law enforcer’s training, and the legalization of the IPR Protection Police Team. These endeavors have not only increased the efficiency of raid action and law enforcement but also caused a significant drop in estimated trade losses suffered by US companies in Taiwan due to counterfeits in 2004 from a high of US$847,900,000 in 2002 to US$315,500,000 in 2004. 

　

　The US, however, kept Taiwan on the “Watch List” this year as the US continues to monitor Taiwan government’s efforts to combat Internet piracy, enact judicial reforms, implement the new data protection law, prevent illegal copying of textbooks, prevent the export of infringing products after abolishing the Export Monitoring System (EMS), and also prevent unauthorized cable operations in southern and central Taiwan. (2005.5)

CYJ/CCS