Punke Says Taiwan is Trade Asset, but IPR Enforcement Still a Problem

Taiwan continues to be an active participant in World Trade Organization multilateral and plurilateral negotiations, namely on the Trade Facilitation Agreement, said Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Michael Punke at the WTO review of Taiwan on Sept. 16. The country is a staunch supporter of the Environmental Goods Agreement, as well as the Information Technology Agreement and Trade in Services Agreement, Punke added.

The country still needs to improve its enforcement and protections of intellectual property rights, he added. “The United States urges [Taiwan] to devote more resources and create new incentives for enforcement authorities to investigate intellectual property crimes and develop new tools to deal with infringement made possible by new technologies and taking place on or near university campuses,” said Punke (here). “Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers continue to face challenges, including delays in introducing new products to the market, non-transparent pricing and reimbursement policies, and weaker IP protection than in comparable markets.”

The WTO review praised improvement in IPR enforcement, noting a number of bills passed to that effect. “The authorities have been making efforts to shorten the examination process for patents,” said the executive summary (here). “On enforcement, cases involving imported commodities infringing trademarks and copyright seem to have been declining. The authorities recognize IPR protection as an essential contribution to economic development and overall competitiveness, as well as to efforts in attracting foreign investment.”

The review also mentions lingering export barriers. “The government continues to maintain prohibitions and licensing requirements for certain exports mainly on grounds of security, public safety and environmental protection,” said the summary, while adding that companies allowed to operate in export processing and free trade zones are able to take advantage of tariff exemption, duty drawback and the facilities themselves. “In addition to exemption from import duties, imports to EPZs and FTZs are exempt from other indirect taxes and charges collected at the border.”