Is that a real Coach Handbag? Is that medicine I need for my blood pressure real? I hope so.
If I write a song or a book, will I be properly compensated for it? Will my children be able work in jobs that reward them for their creativity and hard work?
Unfortunately, some people believe that protecting intellectual property rights (IPR) only means that they have to pay for a product they would prefer to get for free or for next to nothing.
Most consider intellectual property as extending to music, movies, or books. But they also cover handbags, designer clothing and more scarily, medicines.
Of course it's true: We should pay for what we use. But it is important to understand that protecting intellectual property is really about protecting all of us.
Patents, copyrights and trademarks are there for two reasons. The first is to let the consumer know what he or she is buying, whether it is a designer handbag, a piece of expensive electronic equipment, or life-saving medicine.
The second reason is to protect the legitimate rights of the producer of products.
Yes, the author should be paid for his work, the inventor for her discovery and the designer for his creativity.
That, in turn, helps to foster innovation. And innovation is what drives our economies, raises our standard of living and improves our health care.
If you don't believe me, look at the statistics: The World Economic Forum reported that the 20 countries perceived to have the strongest intellectual property protection were among the world's top 27 countries in terms of economic growth opportunities.
In contrast, the countries with the worst intellectual property protection were at the bottom of the pile among the bottom 36 countries. It makes sense.
Most of the growth of the global economy in the last century -- a 20-fold increase -- was due to innovation. Now that 70 percent of global output is generated by services, innovation has become even more important.
Both the US and Taiwan have a strong interest in protecting and fostering our innovators.
For Taiwan, in particular, the future is clear with respect to economic development. The nation's high-tech industries, scientists and engineers -- of which you are justifiably proud -- will lead to economic growth and development. Encouraging and protecting their discoveries and innovations are key to a prosperous future.
Copyright protections for Taiwan's musicians, writers and artists -- whether they be world famous or local favorites -- are important to keep them creating and contributing to Taiwan's rich culture.
And yes, when we take medicine, whether it be for a headache, high blood pressure, or even the flu, we all deserve to know what exactly we are buying.
Taiwan is taking steps to improve its intellectual property protection. The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, along with many others in government, industry and education, are working hard on this important issue. Not only are they improving protections for all of us, they are helping to build a prosperous future for the nation.
Best wishes to everyone on World Intellectual Property Day.
Stephen Young is the director of the American Institute in Taiwan.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to bully Taiwan by conducting military drills extremely close to Taiwan in late May 2024 and announcing a legal opinion in June on how they would treat “Taiwan Independence diehards” according to the PRC’s Criminal Code. This article will describe how China’s Anaconda Strategy of psychological and legal asphyxiation is employed. The CCP’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) conducted a “punishment military exercise” against Taiwan called “Joint Sword 2024A” from 23-24 May 2024, just three days after President William Lai (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was sworn in and
Former US president Donald Trump’s comments that Taiwan hollowed out the US semiconductor industry are incorrect. That misunderstanding could impact the future of one of the world’s most important relationships and end up aiding China at a time it is working hard to push its own tech sector to catch up. “Taiwan took our chip business from us,” the returnee US presidential contender told Bloomberg Businessweek in an interview published this week. The remarks came after the Republican nominee was asked whether he would defend Taiwan against China. It is not the first time he has said this about the nation’s
In a recent interview with the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) called President William Lai (賴清德) “naive.” As always with Ma, one must first deconstruct what he is saying to fully understand the parallel universe he insists on defending. Who is being “naive,” Lai or Ma? The quickest way is to confront Ma with a series of pointed questions that force him to take clear stands on the complex issues involved and prevent him from his usual ramblings. Regarding China and Taiwan, the media should first begin with questions like these: “Did the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
The Yomiuri Shimbun, the newspaper with the largest daily circulation in Japan, on Thursday last week published an article saying that an unidentified high-ranking Japanese official openly spoke of an analysis that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) needs less than a week, not a month, to invade Taiwan with its amphibious forces. Reportedly, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has already been advised of the analysis, which was based on the PLA’s military exercises last summer. A Yomiuri analysis of unclassified satellite photographs confirmed that the PLA has already begun necessary base repairs and maintenance, and is conducting amphibious operation exercises