National IPR Policy

        IPR protection is an established policy of the Taiwan government. Its implementation demonstrates Taiwan's resolution to fulfill international obligations, encourage innovation and invention for industrial upgrade, and enhance national competitiveness as well as sustainable economic development. The 2002 IPR Action Year and the IPR Action Plan 2003-2005 were thus instituted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to carry out IPR protection policies and meet national development needs. The inter-agency Coordination Taskforce for IP Enforcement was established to coordinate and implement IPR protection works, which involved revising the Copyright Act to impose heavier penalty, legalizing the Integrated Enforcement Task Force as the IPR Police, and conducting full-scale inspections of optical disk (OD) factories and night markets by law enforcement agencies and the Joint Optical Disk Enforcement Taskforce (JODE). Under the cooperative efforts of all related government agencies, pirated ODs have diminished markedly. Such improvement is well recognized and acknowledged by our international partners and rights holder groups.
        IPR protection is a long-term mission, and Taiwan's success in deterring infringements is facing new challenges as technological advancements are inadvertently aiding the trend of Internet IPR infringement and the international perforation of counterfeit products. International concerns over this problem resulted in the endorsement of the APEC Model Guidelines to Reduce Trade in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods, to Protect Against Unauthorized Copies, and to Prevent the Sale of Counterfeit Goods over the Internet at the 17th APEC Ministerial Meeting, held in November 2005. APEC urged economies to work with private sectors in implementing these measures to deter infringement acts, which is an understanding that the Taiwan government also shares and believes. In response to this international development trend, and for its duties as a member of the international community, the Taiwan government is revising the IPR Action Plan to sustain its work in constructing a sound IPR protection environment.
        In conjunction with the latest IPR Action Plan 2006-2008, the Taiwan government has enacted the following:
The Taiwan High Prosecutors Office's Coordination Plan for IP Infringements Inspection; the National Police Agency's Implementation Plan for Enhancing IPR Protection; in response to the new computer software and Internet infringement crime wave, government agencies also strengthened enforcement of TIPO's Implementation Plan for Strengthening Preventive Measures Against Internet Infringement and Implementation Plan for Enhancing Computer Software Protection. TIPO has also mediated the ISPs and Rights Holders Against Internet Infringements Plan.