Acting on a tip, police found five sites where counterfeit Pentium and Pentium II chips were made, as well as a warehouse where they were stored, in northern Taiwan. Police said they arrested five suspects and alleged they had been involved in making bogus Intel chips since June 1992. A senior US trade adviser, in Taipei this week to discuss enforcement with officials, said Washington was disturbed by rising exports of counterfeit goods from Taiwan and erosion of the island's protections of copyrights and patents. Under a threat of sanctions in the early 1990s, Taiwan conducted a series of crackdowns on pirated goods and in 1997 had its name lifted from the US watchlists. But the victory appears to have been short-lived.
American inspectors say piracy has returned with a vengeance in Taiwan.
Taiwan now ranks second only to mainland China as a source of pirated products, the American Institute said. Send it . Use this version. Wired Digital Inc., a Lycos Network site. All rights reserved.