VZCZCXRO1410
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHIN #0309 0390551
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080551Z FEB 07
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4043
INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

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