For Anti-Piracy Purpose, Dealers Recommend to Define Non-Profit-Making Infringement as Indictable Crime

Source: Economic Daily News 04/04/2002

Translated by Corrina Wu

    Under the pressure placed by the US’s accusation that pirated optical discs are rampant in Taiwan and the fact that Taiwan is listed on the watching list for the Special 301 Clause again, the Ministry of Economic Affairs schedules to strictly control manufacturers’ import of special raw material and machine which are required for manufacturing optical discs.  Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economic Affairs also schedules to amend the Copyright Law.  It will not only increase the criminal liability provided in the Law but also consider defining the non-profit-making infringement as indictable crime.

     The existing Copyright Law provides that judicial authorities can voluntarily bring indictment only against the infringement on the economic right which involves profit-making acts.  As to the non-profit-making acts, such as university students’ photocopying the original instruments and downloading data from personal computers, they are defined as crime only indictable upon complaint.  Therefore, once the amendment to the Law is passed, the students will be indicted and are likely to be imposed with imprisonment of not more than five years if they photocopy the original edition of book or download MP3.