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IIPA gives strong backing to proposed US-Taiwan FTA

The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), an influential business group, expressed strong support on Thursday for the signing of a free-trade agreement (FTA) between the US and Taiwan.

IIPA president Eric Smith told a symposium on the topic of a US-Taiwan FTA that alliance members strongly support the signing of such an agreement, rebutting US State Department economic analyst Priscilla Hoffman-Stowe, who had said that "until now, no member of the US business sector has expressed support for a US-Taiwan FTA."

It marked the first time that the alliance -- a coalition of seven trade associations representing 1,900 companies producing and distributing materials protected by copyright laws -- has expressed support for the US-Taiwan FTA initiative since October 2002.

During the symposium, sponsored by The George Washington University's Sigur Center for Asian Studies, most of the attendees agreed that given Taiwan's dynamic economy and the close ties between the US and Taiwan, it is imperative that a free-trade agreement be forged between the two sides.

However, they admitted, the US' foreign policy, its stance on cross-strait relations and the US Congress' reaction to that stance, could be major obstacles to a trade pact initiative.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) survey in 2002 on the economic impact of a US-Taiwan trade pact said that more than 120 US companies supported the idea of Washington signing a FTA with Taiwan. The IIPA opposed the idea at that time, saying that it would be inappropriate to have the agreement signed before Taiwan improved its intellectual property rights (IPR) protection.

In January last year, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) removed Taiwan from its "Special 301 priority watch list" in recognition of the country's efforts and progress in IPR protection.

Observers in Washington attributed the IIPA's turnabout on the FTA issue to Taiwan's progress in cracking down IPR violations.
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