PRC Announces Protection For Taiwan Geographic Indicators

UNCLAS TAIPEI 000309 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE PASS USTR STATE FOR EAP/ TC, EAP/EP COMMERCE FOR 3132/USFCS/OIO/EAP/WZARIT TREASURY FOR OASIA/LMOGHTADER USTR FOR STRATFORD, ALTBACH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD KIPR CH TW SUBJECT: PRC Announces Protection For Taiwan Geographic Indicators at Taipei Conference Ref: A) Taipei 297, B) 06 Taipei 3676 ¶1. (U) Summary: For the first time, the PRC's State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) announced that it would take action to protect certain Taiwan geographic indicators. End summary. ¶2. (U) The PRC's SAIC announced on January 16 that it would cancel any trademark registrations by PRC entities using two Taiwan geographic indicators, Alishan and Riyuetan (Sun Moon Lake). It was reportedly the first such announcement by SAIC on Taiwan indicators. In addition, SAIC will work to ensure that only fruit imported from Taiwan is labeled as Taiwan fruit. Taiwan farmers have complained that most "Taiwan" fruit sold is the PRC is not actually from Taiwan, including some produce grown in the PRC from Taiwan seed stocks using such labels. SAIC also encouraged Taiwan producers to register geographic indicators with PRC authorities. ¶3. (U) The announcement came during the "Cross-Strait Trademark Forum 2007" in Taipei. More than 100 Taiwan and PRC experts on intellectual property rights (IPR) attended the meeting, including Li Dongsheng, Deputy Director of China's SAIC. The forum was the latest in a series of cross-Strait consultations on the protection of IPR. In December 2004, Taiwan hosted a Taiwan-Jiangsu IPR Conference. Former Kuomintang Party Chairman Lien Chan raised agricultural trade issues with PRC officials during his high-profile trip to Beijing in April 2005 and again during the October 2005 Cross-Strait Agricultural Cooperation Forum. More recently, Taiwan Intellectual Property Office Director General Tsai Lien-sheng visited China in May 2006 as part of a delegation organized by the Chinese National Federation of Industries to discuss IPR issues. ¶4. (U) Taiwan still has several outstanding IPR disputes with the PRC on geographic indicators. Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp. has been trying for years to register the Taiwan Beer trademark in China, but its applications have been rejected repeatedly. Other Taiwan producers have complained of PRC entities registering trademarks with the names of other Taiwan localities, including Hsinchu rice noodles and Gukeng coffee. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: The SAIC announcement is a small but significant step in unofficial cross-Strait discussions on intellectual property rights and agricultural trade issues. It shows that that the two sides are making progress toward improved cross-Strait economic relations on some technical issues. We may see more concrete results as this kind of informal cross-Strait dialogue continues (ref A). End comment. YOUNG