Author Giddens Ko (柯景騰) on Tuesday said he did not pursue copyright infringement charges against Apple for approving apps allegedly using pirated content of his works.
Ko, better known as Jiubadao (九把刀 or “Nine Knives”), dismissed local media reports that said that he decided to drop all charges against Apple after having met with legal personnel at Apple’s headquarters in Hong Kong a day earlier.
“I did not pursue charges, so how on earth would I be able to drop them? What are those television reports saying? Didn’t they interview me only moments ago?” he wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday after watching local TV news channels.
Ko’s agent also clarified the situation, saying Apple has removed seven or eight apps reportedly containing pirated content of Ko’s works after the meeting in Hong Kong.
Ko, author and director of the popular film You Are the Apple of My Eye (那些年,我們ㄧ起追的女孩), recently told media he has been filing complaints against Apple for the past two years because several apps on the company’s iTunes Store had infringed upon his copyrights.
However, the US technology giant had not taken the complaints seriously, he said.
The author said that Apple cited difficulty in discerning copyright as a reason for refusing to remove apps that allegedly violated his copyright. Ko added that he has filed an application with the iTunes Store to publish an app he developed with a publishing company to allow users to download 50 of his novels for free.
However, Apple declined his application, saying that that the description of the app was unclear and that it should be listed on iBooks, Apple’s platform for e-books, instead.
Ko’s agent said they were still negotiating with Apple for the app to be made available on the iTunes Store.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or