Strike Against Piracy Targeting Piracy Rate Under 40%.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs indicated, in order to strike out piracy completely, besides founding Disc Union Team to examine disc-manufacturing companies, the Ministry of the Interior has also established Intellectual Property Rights Protection Police Corps in charge of tracking down piracy.  The Ministry of Finance has organized a task force as well to enforce border inspection.  Currently, our blockage of piracy has taken effect.  According to BSA’s latest investigation of global computer software piracy rate, the average piracy rate in Asia Pacific is 53% and 43% in Taiwan, which is the second lowest in terms of piracy rate in Asia Pacific merely next to Japan.

 

With regard to border inspection, in 2003 fiscal year of the U.S. Customs, the amount of money detained by the U.S. customs on account of our exporting goods suspect of involving infringement is 61 hundred thousand U.S.D, a huge decline from the 26 million 50 hundred thousand U.S.D in 2002.  The latest announcement of U.S. first half 2004 fiscal year showed that the amount has even gone down to 60 thousand U.S.D manifesting success of border inspection.  In terms of the institutionalization of Intellectual Property Rights Protection Police Corps, the Executive Yuan has passed activating The Fifth Corps of The Special Police Second Headquarters, National Police Agency of the Ministry of the Interior, which will be officially established on October 1.

 

The Ministry of Economic Affairs emphasized that they would more actively coordinate with relevant organizations, furthermore cooperate with IPR owner associations, enhance intellectual property protection measures, strengthen inspection and promulgation in sales channels and stores in anticipation of reducing our piracy rate under 40%. (2004.08)

CYJ/CHT