The Taipei Customs Office is trying to ascertain whether the 1,865 Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2) video game discs it seized last week are pirated copies.
Customs officials said yesterday they had asked the Aviation Police Bureau to intervene in the smuggling case.
The officials said that the confiscated Wii and PS2 discs could sell for as much as NT$2.6 million (US$79,000) on the local market.
Last month the Taipei Customs Office requested the help of a representative from Nintendo, who certified that 400 Wii discs, worth NT$600,000, seized at the nation's ports of entry in May were all pirated copies.
Those involved in smuggling the discs were prosecuted in accordance with the Copyright Law (
The latest Nintendo game console is gaining in popularity, with the number of consoles in Taiwan estimated at 200,000. Yet the product has not yet been officially launched in Taiwan.
The National Communications Commission said that Nintendo had obtained certification to market the Wii console in Taiwan.
Passengers entering Taiwan are allowed to import two Nintendo Wii discs duty-free.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
The New Taipei City Social Welfare Department on Thursday celebrated Paralympic competitor Chen Tzu-wei (張孜維), who received last year’s national Golden Eagle award for exemplary achievement by Taiwanese with disabilities. Chen, who suffers from childhood-onset muscular dystrophy, did not attend the first award ceremony held by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in November due to illness. Chen was formally presented with the award at the department, where he gave thanks to government workers for supporting his education and livelihood, the department said in a statement. Chen was raised by the Ai-hsin Home for Persons with Disabilities in the city’s Bali District (八里)