Fineart Technology appealing against Beijing IPR court case decision
2005/3/11
By Jason Tan The China Post
The Hsinchu-based Fineart Technology is currently appealing its recent conviction, which held it has infringed the intellectual property rights (IPR) of a handwriting recognition solution from a Chinese company.
The Beijing-based Hanwang Technology filed a case against Fineart Technology in 2000, alleging that the Fineart invaded its solution copyrights by breaking and re-editing the software code and selling it on line.
The lawsuit dragged on for four and a half years and the Beijing court ruled in favor of Hanwang Technology last month. Fineart Technology has to pay a fine of 300,000 renminbi.
Fineart Technology is said to be the first Taiwanese company to be fined for IPR infringement in China.
Its vice general manager Judy Chuang said that an appeal is currently underway but no timeframe exists for when the company's name will be cleared.
"The lawsuit definitely affects our company's reputation," she told the China Post.
She claimed that the company started research into handwriting recognition solutions in 1991, and gained rights for use in personal computers in 1993 in Taiwan.
It acquired the IPR for use in personal digital assistants in Taiwan in 1996.
Hanwang Technology, on the contrary, developed related software in June 1998 and acquired the IPR in China two years later.
This proved that Fineart Technology is not a copycat after all, Chuang asserted.
However, the accusation caused the company to pay a high price as it now learnt the importance of applying for IPR in China to protect the integrity of its company's offerings.
Tsai Lien-sheng, director general of the Intellectual Property Office, was quoted by a Chinese daily as saying it is imperative for Taiwanese companies to register their IPR in the mainland to protect their rights.
He commented that in fact, there are even greater possibilities of Taiwan copyrights being invaded by mainland counterparts.
According to Fineart Technology, its handwriting recognition product line contributed around one third to its total revenues last year.
The company expects the percentage to drop this year, but Chuang refused to provide any figures.
She added that the company will diversify its business focus to the information security area this year.
It will push related solutions including universal serial buses (USB), removable hard disks and waterwalls, a solution which defends network invasion from inside an organization instead of outside.
"We are banking on this sector this year as we will announce later this month our partnership with a client from Japan to sell solutions under our brand," she revealed.
By Jason Tan The China Post
The Hsinchu-based Fineart Technology is currently appealing its recent conviction, which held it has infringed the intellectual property rights (IPR) of a handwriting recognition solution from a Chinese company.
The Beijing-based Hanwang Technology filed a case against Fineart Technology in 2000, alleging that the Fineart invaded its solution copyrights by breaking and re-editing the software code and selling it on line.
The lawsuit dragged on for four and a half years and the Beijing court ruled in favor of Hanwang Technology last month. Fineart Technology has to pay a fine of 300,000 renminbi.
Fineart Technology is said to be the first Taiwanese company to be fined for IPR infringement in China.
Its vice general manager Judy Chuang said that an appeal is currently underway but no timeframe exists for when the company's name will be cleared.
"The lawsuit definitely affects our company's reputation," she told the China Post.
She claimed that the company started research into handwriting recognition solutions in 1991, and gained rights for use in personal computers in 1993 in Taiwan.
It acquired the IPR for use in personal digital assistants in Taiwan in 1996.
Hanwang Technology, on the contrary, developed related software in June 1998 and acquired the IPR in China two years later.
This proved that Fineart Technology is not a copycat after all, Chuang asserted.
However, the accusation caused the company to pay a high price as it now learnt the importance of applying for IPR in China to protect the integrity of its company's offerings.
Tsai Lien-sheng, director general of the Intellectual Property Office, was quoted by a Chinese daily as saying it is imperative for Taiwanese companies to register their IPR in the mainland to protect their rights.
He commented that in fact, there are even greater possibilities of Taiwan copyrights being invaded by mainland counterparts.
According to Fineart Technology, its handwriting recognition product line contributed around one third to its total revenues last year.
The company expects the percentage to drop this year, but Chuang refused to provide any figures.
She added that the company will diversify its business focus to the information security area this year.
It will push related solutions including universal serial buses (USB), removable hard disks and waterwalls, a solution which defends network invasion from inside an organization instead of outside.
"We are banking on this sector this year as we will announce later this month our partnership with a client from Japan to sell solutions under our brand," she revealed.
posted by jason tan @ 3:24 AM
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