The government is targeting peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing operators as it opens its latest battlefront in the war on piracy because copyright abuse on the Internet is worsening, according to a Ministry of Economic Affairs official.
"The battleground is shifting to mp3 and downloaded files," Jack Lu (
"We are going to force kuro.com.tw (
In August, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Taiwan filed a lawsuit against kuro.com -- the nation's largest music-sharing Web site with around 500,000 subscribers -- for allowing its members to share music files to which it holds the rights without paying royalty fees.
But Kuro yesterday claimed that the music industry has refused to discuss the payment mechanism with it since July.
"I don't think any cooperation between us and the music industry can be built before the lawsuit comes to an end," Kuro spokesman Philip Wang (王立文) told the Taipei Times.
Originally, the company proposed charging its subscribers another NT$50 royalty fee to pass onto the record labels on top of a NT$99 monthly fee it currently charges. The company also agreed to pay a certain amount of compensation to record companies.
The industry rejected the offer, Wang said.
"Taiwan has lagged behind advanced countries like the US and those in Europe in keeping up with technological trends," Wang said, citing a ruling by US Federal Court in Los Angeles, California, in April that some file-swapping software was legal.
Record labels and movie studios in the US have appealed the ruling.
Another IPO official was unwilling to comment on whether P2P network operators and software developers such as Kuro are violators of the newly amended Copyright Law (著作權法), but she did point out that online file trading is illegal under the law .
"People distributing content via the Internet to others without obtaining permission from copyright holders is a form of infringement," said Margaret Chen (陳淑美), director of IPO's copyright department.
At yesterday's seminar, Iain Grant, head of IFPI enforcement, said there is no clear effort by the government to stop Internet piracy.
"Taiwan is now becoming an Internet piracy haven ... it appears that no particular government agency has taken responsibility for monitoring Internet piracy or enforcing copyright legislation," Grant said.
Using the music industry as an example, Grant said that Taiwan's legitimate market in recorded music has dropped dramatically in value from US$363 million in 1997 to US$286 million in 1999 and US$162 million last year.
In response, Chen said that a Criminal Investigation Bureau task force is taking charge of cyber crimes, including copyright law violations, and it takes time for them to monitor and investigate illegal Internet activities.
As for a suggestion from Grant that the Copyright Law be revised to cover encryption and other technical protection devices, Chen said her office currently has no plans to revise the law.
"I understand the US and other countries are still not satisfied with the law, but we need time to evaluate the effect of it before rushing to into drafting another version," she said.
UNCERTAINTY: Innolux activated a stringent supply chain management mechanism, as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure optimal inventory levels for customers Flat-panel display makers AUO Corp (友達) and Innolux Corp (群創) yesterday said that about 12 to 20 percent of their display business is at risk of potential US tariffs and that they would relocate production or shipment destinations to mitigate the levies’ effects. US tariffs would have a direct impact of US$200 million on AUO’s revenue, company chairman Paul Peng (彭雙浪) told reporters on the sidelines of the Touch Taiwan trade show in Taipei yesterday. That would make up about 12 percent of the company’s overall revenue. To cope with the tariff uncertainty, AUO plans to allocate its production to manufacturing facilities in
TAKING STOCK: A Taiwanese cookware firm in Vietnam urged customers to assess inventory or place orders early so shipments can reach the US while tariffs are paused Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam are exploring alternatives after the White House imposed a 46 percent import duty on Vietnamese goods, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on the US’ trading partners. Lo Shih-liang (羅世良), chairman of Brico Industry Co (裕茂工業), a Taiwanese company that manufactures cast iron cookware and stove components in Vietnam, said that more than 40 percent of his business was tied to the US market, describing the constant US policy shifts as an emotional roller coaster. “I work during the day and stay up all night watching the news. I’ve been following US news until 3am
COLLABORATION: Given Taiwan’s key position in global supply chains, the US firm is discussing strategies with local partners and clients to deal with global uncertainties Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) yesterday said it is meeting with local ecosystem partners, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), to discuss strategies, including long-term manufacturing, to navigate uncertainties such as US tariffs, as Taiwan occupies an important position in global supply chains. AMD chief executive officer Lisa Su (蘇姿丰) told reporters that Taiwan is an important part of the chip designer’s ecosystem and she is discussing with partners and customers in Taiwan to forge strong collaborations on different areas during this critical period. AMD has just become the first artificial-intelligence (AI) server chip customer of TSMC to utilize its advanced
Six years ago, LVMH’s billionaire CEO Bernard Arnault and US President Donald Trump cut the blue ribbon on a factory in rural Texas that would make designer handbags for Louis Vuitton, one of the world’s best-known luxury brands. However, since the high-profile opening, the factory has faced a host of problems limiting production, 11 former Louis Vuitton employees said. The site has consistently ranked among the worst-performing for Louis Vuitton globally, “significantly” underperforming other facilities, said three former Louis Vuitton workers and a senior industry source, who cited internal rankings shared with staff. The plant’s problems — which have not
RSS