01 April, 2001
Is Taiwan on a Priority Path?
Over the past decade, Taiwan has gone from intellectual property pest to promising pupil and back again if we are to judge by the Special 301 lists on intellectual property rights announced each year by the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
April 30 is the date for the decision, and all signs are pointing to the probability that Taiwan's status will be “upgraded” from the Watch List, where it has found itself since an out-of-cycle August 1998 review, to the more serious Priority Watch List. While an "upgrade," in Special 301 parlance, is not a positive occurrence, there may be a silver lining, and the authors are optimistic that this year’s Special 301 process may portend brighter days ahead for IPR protection in Taiwan...Download Full PDF
