Taipei, June 17 (CNA) A virtual global workshop on trade secrets protection and digital piracy prevention got off the ground Thursday, hosted by offices representing the United States, Japan and Taiwan.
At the two-day workshop, which is being held under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) initiative, government officials from 20 countries will discuss issues such as prosecution of cross-border cases related to the theft of trade-secrets, according to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of bilateral diplomatic ties.
At the opening ceremony, AIT Director Brent Christensen highlighted the "Four I's," which he said are the virtuous cycle of interaction, intellectual property rights (IPR) protection, investment, and innovation, the AIT said in a press release.
"Promotion of the Four I' s will make each of our economies stronger as we develop the global economy for the modern era," Christensen was quoted as saying.
Christensen also lauded Taiwan's progress on IPR protection and said he believes that Taiwan, Japan, and the U.S. - the three hosts of the virtual workshop - each have tremendous knowledge and experience to share at the event, according to the AIT.
The U.S. is being represented at the two-day workshop by the AIT, and the other two host countries by the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA) and Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, respectively.
The panelists include representatives from the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office (THPO), Taiwan District Court, Taiwan District Prosecutors Office, National University of Singapore, and the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ), while the participants are from 20 countries across the world, the AIT said.
They will discuss, among other issues, IPR strategies on trade development, efforts by governments and private sectors to combat online IP infringement, cross-border case studies on trade-secrets theft, and companies' compliance on trade-secrets protection, the AIT said.
The participants will also relate their own experiences and will be able to take away information on dealing with the common challenge of combating IPR infringement, the AIT said.
"Intellectual property rights protection is a critical driving force for economic development in the modern digital economy," it said.
JTEA Deputy Chief Representative Hoshino Mitsuaki, and Taiwan's Ministry of Justice Minister Tsai Ching-hsiang and Deputy Foreign Minister Tseng Ho-jen also spoke at the opening of the workshop, according to the AIT.
On Friday, closing remarks will be made by USDOJ Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard Downing and THPO Chief Prosecutor Hsing Tai-chao, the AIT said.
The GCTF is an initiative launched by Taiwan and the U.S. in 2015 to help bring Taiwan's expertise to the global stage and promote multilateralism. Japan joined the platform as a full partner four years later.
