Chang wants crackdown on piracy

Government ministries should show resolve in cracking down on the illegal use of computer software and pirated goods by launching searches not just of students, but also merchants -- a primary source of the illegal activity, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said yesterday.

Chang also asked the Ministry of Education to provide legal assistance to several university students who may face lawsuits for allegedly downloading illegal MP3 music files from the Internet.

"The Executive Yuan is calling on the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of the Interior to reinforce the ... fight against copyright infringements by taking punitive action against businesses selling pirated CDs and those offering software programs to be downloaded from the Internet without authorization," Chang said.

"By doing so, [responsible divisions] are demonstrating their determination not only to catch houseflies [referring to college students] but also to dare to catch tigers," (打蒼蠅,也打老虎) Chang said at the weekly executive meeting.

Chang also appealed to college students nationwide who have been expressing outrage over a police search of dorms at National Chengkung University on April 11 to calm down and be rational in discussing the issue.

During the search, 14 computers allegedly containing unlawfully downloaded MP3 music files were confiscated.

Under the current circumstances, he said, it is important for the education ministry to throw its support behind the students and offer them aid if they face lawsuits.

Chang said the incident revealed that people in Taiwan lack sufficient knowledge regarding the protection of intellectual property.

He suggested that related bureaus reinforce education in this area, which had long been neglected.

With regard to the controversy triggered by the police raid, Chang said the action deserved further investigation. The police search violated justice ministry guidelines that require that the prosecutor general be notified when any search is launched on a campus.

Chang said that it was essential for the justice ministry to always follow proper procedures.

In the face of the premier's admonishment, Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) conceded at the legislature yesterday that the search was defective as it had failed to follow the ministry's regulations.

He promised the incident would be thoroughly probed.

Responding to critics who said the crackdown targeted students because they were more vulnerable, Chen took the denunciation in stride.

"To be honest, the crackdown was susceptible to censure because it had indeed violated the ministry's principle -- we should catch tigers first, then catch flies when extra energy is available," the minister said.

In line with the premier's call to reinforce public education on the protection of intellectual property, the Ministry of Education is to hold a seminar concerning copyrights today, to be attended by officials from universities, the justice ministry and the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

An official from the justice ministry will also give a lecture on the procedures that need to be followed when police want to search a campus.