Documents Used in Applying for R.O.C. Patents May Be Drawn Up in Foreign Languages
In order to realize the protection of intellectual property rights in the ROC, and to attract patent applications from foreign businesses, the National Bureau of Standards at the Ministry of Economic Affairs has included in the bylaws of draft proposals for revisions of the nation's patent laws a point which will make it possible for overseas Chinese and foreigners to use foreign languages in documents pertaining to the initiation of patent applications here.
According to reports, the essential approach of the Bureau of Standards will be to include the previous proclamations of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in the texts of the new laws, thereby making it clear to business concerns precisely what course they will be required to follow. The 1981/82 proclamations issued by the MOEA stated basically that if the documents and diagrams accompanying a patent application specify with certitude the exact nature of the requested patent, then even if there are later additions or corrections made, so long as they do not alter the essential points of the original application, any decision on the application will not be influenced.
Because most of the Chinese-language documents submitted by foreign or overseas Chinese businesses to the ROC in applying for patents are translated versions of foreign-language documents, and because the scope of the Chinese translations is no greater than that of the original language, this new ruling on the part of the Bureau of Standards will help to increase the attraction for foreign businesses to make patent applications in the ROC
Applications for Overseas Chinese Students Desiring to Pursue Higher Education in the ROC Now Being Taken
Applications for overseas Chinese students (who may forgo the standard college entrance examination) wishing to return to the ROC to study at universities, colleges, 3-year junior colleges or the National University Preparatory School for Overseas Chinese students in the 1987 academic year are now being accepted.
The necessary qualifications for those who desire to apply for such studies are: (1) born overseas and continuous residence overseas up until present, or continuous residence overseas for at least the past five years, with proof of overseas residence and still residing overseas at the time of application; (2) must obtain a visa from the government of overseas territory where residing, good for both exit and return; (3) good personal character, pure in ideology; (4) strong and healthy in both body and spirit; (5) graduation from either a Chinese-language or foreign-language 6-year middle school program in country of residence, or the equivalent of graduation from an ROC high school.
All interested parties should submit their applications before the tenth of March. Application materials and information may be obtained from and submitted to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission or various other overseas Chinese organizations.
Of related interest, the Mandarin Training Center at National Taiwan Normal University will be reorganizing its educational system beginning in March; therefore, those new students wishing to study at the center must enter under the regulations of the new system. For details on these regulations, a pamphlet may be obtained from the Mandarin Training Center itself.
Investment in Caribbean Regions to Be Allowed on an Individual Basis
At a recent meeting of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a decision was made to encourage Chinese investment in Caribbean regions, expanding to the Central and South American countries of Paraguay and Uruguay Furthermore, it was decided to permit individual Chinese as well as corporations to make investments in the areas. However, interested individuals must first obtain documents verifying the actual need for these investments from ROC government representatives in the said areas.
In order to further expedite these actions, the investment operations of the investment loan department of the Import-Export Bank of China will be expanded in range to include the countries of Paraguay and Uruguay as well.