Investigation authorities successively unearthed cases relating to multinational counterfeit software infringement. Taiwan was not listed top ten on the US blacklist of counterfeit country for the first time.

Investigation authorities recently unearthed several cases relating to multinational counterfeit software infringement, who performed successful investigation achievements. The U.S. was impressed by the efforts that Taiwan government has spent on the task of counterfeits investigation and intelligence property right protection. The U.S. has expressed to Taiwan through a third party that it will remove the name of Taiwan from the observation list of Section 301 of the US Trade Act.

The US Strategic Trade Center (STC) of Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Homeland Security initiatively informed our representative office in the U.S. that the quantity of the Taiwan-made counterfeit articles uncovered in the U.S. substantially decreased in 2003 based on the statistic data made by the U.S. Customs. In regard to the value of the seized counterfeit articles, the total amount decreased from US$26,500,000 the year before last year to US$610,000 last year. In respect of the number of the seized cases, the number decreased from ninety-six the year before last year to seventy-seven last year. The quantity of the counterfeit articles was merely 0.65 % of the total number of the articles seized by the U.S. in 2003, which was less than 1%. As to the blacklist listing, Taiwan was not listed top ten this year apart from being top one in 1999 and being top two in 2002. (2004.01)

CYJ/WYL