外交部政務次長曾厚仁

智慧財產權保護及打擊數位侵權之新發展線上國際研討會致詞

110年6月17日

Director Christensen from American Institute in Taiwan (TBC);
Chief Representative IZUMI from Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (TBC); 
Minister Tsai from the Ministry of Justice; 
Dear participants joining us online from around the world; Ladies and gentlemen:
Blessing from Taipei! 

It is a great pleasure to attend the opening ceremony of the GCTF virtual conference on New Developments in IP Protection and Combating Digital Infringement today. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all online participants. Thank you for taking the time to attend this conference. 

Taiwan’s economic miracle along with the outstanding economic development in the 1990s was driven by labor-intensive manufacturing industry. As the 20th century came to a close, Taiwan had transformed into a democracy with peaceful political power transition and high-tech economy. Innovation becomes critical than ever to economic development. One of the key elements to sustain economic development is to ensure intellectual property protection. According to the latest World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report, Taiwan was ranked 12 out of 141 countries, with sound institutions, policies and regulations to protect intellectual property right.

As we are entering the age of 5G mobile network of telecommunication, the Internet allows the infringers to produce thousands of copyright work at little cost. More and newer forms of intellectual property infringement are emerging. Digital infringement is hence not just a challenge for private companies for doing business through corporate espionage and cyber threats, but also a potential threat to governance and government operation. Amid the growing online activities, no single country or government can address intellectual property protection on cyber space alone. Global efforts are needed to protect IPR and combat cyber crimes.

In this regard, I would like to thank the High Prosecutors Office of Taiwan to initiate this workshop. It provides an excellent platform for us to exchange the law enforcement practices and experiences on the intellectual property and digital infringement issues. With a sound environment where transformative ideas can thrive and grow, I believe that the Indo-Pacific region will be the locomotive for global economy. 

With that, let me once again welcome you all. I wish you a productive and fruitful discussion. Thank you!