Intellectual Property Office Strikes at Internet Piracy

  The Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs is instituting an “Implementation Plan for Strengthening Preventive Measures Against Internet Infringement” on May 1 with the aim of cracking down on the infringement of intellectual property rights via the Internet. For the same purpose, the office has set up a Joint Internet Infringement Inspection Special Taskforce (JIST) and is raising the bounty offered for the breaking of cases of infringement or the sale of copied and pirated material over the Internet to NT$500,000, retroactive to the end of March.

  The Bureau points out that music, movie, digital product, and other Internet infringement has transcended traditional piracy and that selling counterfeit name brands products via the Internet is becoming more and more prevalent. To put a stop to this behavior, the Bureau is to work with internet service providers (ISPs), school authorities, and foreign enforcement agencies to investigate, carry out publicity, and set standards with regards to Internet infringement.

  The new “Implementation Plan for Strengthening Preventive Measures Against Internet Infringement” contains the following key points:

1.Publicity work will be directed at ISPs and Internet users to strengthen understanding of infringement behavior and conditions, and of responsibilities regarding such behavior.

2.Cooperation between ISPs and copyright-holder groups will be promoted.

3.Internet management in schools will be strengthened through concrete measures, such as the revisions of the “Regulations for Internet Usage at School” and the “Regulations for Managing the Taiwan Academic Network (TANet),” to prohibit the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) for illegal transmission of the copyrighted works of others over school networks, and to request colleges and universities to monitor Internet flow via network volume analysis and to provide guidance for irregular  behaviors.

4.The JIST, comprised of members from the IPR Police, the Joint Optical Disk Enforcement Taskforce, and the TIPO, is charged with strengthening enforcement and the vigorous investigation of Internet infringement cases.

5.Cooperation between police, prosecutorial, and investigative agencies in Taiwan and foreign enforcement agencies will be strengthened so as to assist with the investigation of overseas websites.

  In addition, the Executive Yuan recently has revised the rules on rewards for tips leading to the resolution of cases of the sale of pirated products over the Internet, raising the reward from the original 5% of the value of the goods to 20% and boosting the maximum reward from the original NT$200,000 to NT$500,000, retroactive to Mar. 30. For further related information, please consult the following website: http://w2kdmz1.moea.gov.tw/user/news/detail.asp?id=9157.

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