Companies that invest in file-sharing or peer-to-peer Web sites and those that help them collect their monthly subscription fees should reconsider co-operating with the sites now that prosecutors have filed charges against Taiwan's largest on-line file-sharing site, Kuro.com.tw (
"The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry [IFPI] Taiwan calls for existing investors and potential investors to seriously consider their investments in unauthorized peer-to-peer network operators," IFPI Taiwan branch secretary-general Robin Lee (
The IFPI, which represents 10 local and international record labels, has claimed that Kuro and similar sites infringe on their members' copyrights by allowing subscribers to share and download music files without paying royalty fees.
In August the federation took the complaint to prosecutors. Last Thursday, the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office formally filed charges against three senior directors at Kuro and one subscriber, claiming they infringe on the nation's recently amended Copyright Law (
Kuro has 500,000 subscribers, according to the site's operators, each paying NT$99 per month to use the peer-to-peer service that allows them to find friends, share music and video files, and access a digital magazine.
Companies that currently collect the monthly subscription fee for Kuro include big names such as President Chain Store Corp (
"IFPI seriously advises those who collect money on Kuro's behalf to reconsider the legality of their business activities with Kuro," Lee said.
Kuro fired back yesterday that the IFPI was in for a fight.
"We take the tactics they are using very seriously as we think it will do some damage to our allies," Kuro spokesman Philip Wang (王立文) told the Taipei Times yesterday.
"This is war. We will do something to enhance our relationships with our allies," Wang said, without elaborating.
Wang said a more sinister desire to control how music is packaged and sold is the reason for the music industry's relentless pursuit of his company.
"They are targeting Kuro as Kuro is a threat to traditional music publishing channels," he said. "That is why they are trying by all means to kill us."
An offer to charge Kuro users an extra NT$50 per month as a form of royalty for the music industry was rejected, showing the IFPI was not serious about coming to an agreement, Wang said.
The IFPI's campaign against Kuro may have had some success. Government-owned Chunghwa Telecom Co's (
But others are adopting a wait-and-see approach.
"This is an ongoing case and it is not suitable to talk about the legality of Kuro's business until we see the final result. But if the outcome is that Kuro is illegal, FarEasTone would certainly not want to be associated with any illegal business," said FarEas-Tone vice president Liang Jin-lin (梁錦琳).
The news comes as Taiwan tries to show it is cracking down on intellectual property rights infringers in the face of criticism from foreign governments. In October, the government announced that the Internet was its new front in the war against piracy after successfully increasing seizures of bootlegged audio, video and software disks this year. The case against Kuro is the first criminal case against a peer-to-peer Web site here.
Merida Industry Co (美利達) has seen signs of recovery in the US and European markets this year, as customers are gradually depleting their inventories, the bicycle maker told shareholders yesterday. Given robust growth in new orders at its Taiwanese factory, coupled with its subsidiaries’ improving performance, Merida said it remains confident about the bicycle market’s prospects and expects steady growth in its core business this year. CAUTION ON CHINA However, the company must handle the Chinese market with great caution, as sales of road bikes there have declined significantly, affecting its revenue and profitability, Merida said in a statement, adding that it would
i Gasoline and diesel prices at fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.1 per liter, as tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week rose for the third consecutive week due to an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as the market is concerned that the situation in the Middle East might affect crude oil supply, CPC and Formosa said in separate statements. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — rose 3.75 percent to settle at US$77.01
RISING: Strong exports, and life insurance companies’ efforts to manage currency risks indicates the NT dollar would eventually pass the 29 level, an expert said The New Taiwan dollar yesterday rallied to its strongest in three years amid inflows to the nation’s stock market and broad-based weakness in the US dollar. Exporter sales of the US currency and a repatriation of funds from local asset managers also played a role, said two traders, who asked not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak publicly. State-owned banks were seen buying the greenback yesterday, but only at a moderate scale, the traders said. The local currency gained 0.77 percent, outperforming almost all of its Asian peers, to close at NT$29.165 per US dollar in Taipei trading yesterday. The
RECORD LOW: Global firms’ increased inventories, tariff disputes not yet impacting Taiwan and new graduates not yet entering the market contributed to the decrease Taiwan’s unemployment rate last month dropped to 3.3 percent, the lowest for the month in 25 years, as strong exports and resilient domestic demand boosted hiring across various sectors, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. After seasonal adjustments, the jobless rate eased to 3.34 percent, the best performance in 24 years, suggesting a stable labor market, although a mild increase is expected with the graduation season from this month through August, the statistics agency said. “Potential shocks from tariff disputes between the US and China have yet to affect Taiwan’s job market,” Census Department Deputy Director Tan Wen-ling