Justices say copyright law sanctions constitutionalOPTICAL DISILLUSIONMENT: A lawyer said penalties for specifically using optical disks were disproportionate with the offense and contravened constitutional rightsBy Wu Cheng-feng and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerA law punishing copyright infringements involving the sale or public distribution of reproductions on optical disks with a minimum six-month prison term is constitutional, the Council of Grand Justices ruled on Friday. Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Lin Hui-huang reads aloud the Council of Grand Justices’ Constitutional Interpretation No. Other copyright crimes are punishable by a maximum three-year prison term with no minimum prison term or fine, the lawyer said, questioning the imposition of a minimum term for breaches specifically involving optical disks. The law says that copyright infringements involving optical disks are prosecutable without complaint, meaning that a defendant faces criminal charges even if they reach an agreement with the copyright holder. Liu’s lawyer said that application of these laws also harmed Liu’s constitutional rights and requested an interpretation.

Source: Taipei Times May 22, 2021 15:56 UTC