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- On January 1, Taiwan became a member of the WTO and obligated itself to fully comply with the TRIPS Agreement on that date.
- On January 1, coinciding with Taiwan's WTO accession, Taiwan lengthened patent protection from 15 to 20 years for patents granted before January 21, 1994.
- The Philippine Supreme Court issued new rules giving courts the authority to order the seizure of pirated material without notice to the suspected infringer, as required by TRIPS Article 50.
- The Czech government adopted a comprehensive new regulation, effective January 1, on the use of software in government offices.
- Amendments to Moldova's Customs Code came into force, providing ex officio authority for customs officials to seize material at the border as required by the TRIPS Agreement.
February
- Kazakhstan joined the WIPO Trademark Law Treaty and the Locarno Agreement on Establishment of International Classification of Industrial Models.
- The Government of Paraguay impounded 12.6 million blank CDs in early February and charged the importers with tax evasion.
- On February 7, Costa Rica's Public Ministry appointed 12 specialized "Link Prosecutors" to provide priority handling of IP cases in Costa Rica.
- The Costa Rican government signed a government software decree on February 21, which requires all ministries to conduct inventories and audits by December 15, 2002, and to come into full compliance no later than July 15, 2003.
- Jamaica formed a new Intellectual Property Office (JIPO), consolidating the administration of Jamaican copyright, trademark and patent laws.
March
- Amendments to Qatar's 1995 copyright law, which were approved by the Advisory Council in February, were brought to the final stages of approval.
- Peru signed and published the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty on March 2.
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