The Customs Administration could in June begin fining people who smuggle counterfeit goods valued at less than NT$5,000 and that infringe upon copyright laws, an official familiar with the matter said.
The administration proposed an amendment to the Customs Anti-smuggling Act (海關緝私條例) to make penalties for the exportation and importation of counterfeit items fairer, the official said.
The current act stipulates that smugglers or those dealing in smuggled goods may be fined up to three times the value of the goods and that the items may be confiscated.
Photo: CNA
However, the act exempts individuals from fines in cases in which the duty-paid value or the free-on-board (FOB) value of the goods does not exceed NT$5,000. The exemption does not apply to guns, ammunition and drugs.
The act also stipulates that if declared goods are found to be counterfeit and infringe on patent, trademark or copyright laws, a fine of up to three times the value of the goods may be imposed, and the goods be confiscated.
That means that while smugglers are exempt from fines if they have imported counterfeit goods of lesser value, those who report the goods to customs must pay fines regardless of the value, the official said.
The proposed amendment would expand the list of items not covered by the exemption to include counterfeit goods that contravene patent, trademark and copyright laws.
If the act is implemented, smugglers would be fined up to three times the value of the counterfeit goods, regardless of what their duty-paid or FOB values are, the official said, adding that counterfeit products would be confiscated.
The proposed amendment is open to public comment until April 28 and could be implemented in June, they said.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS