WASHINGTON, D.C.—OCTOBER 17, 2011—The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design, today announced that the worldwide semiconductor industry, through cooperation in the World Semiconductor Council (WSC) formally proposed recommendations on a variety of international trade issues to the 12th annual meeting of the Government and Authorities Meeting on Semiconductors (GAMS). GAMS is comprised of government officials and authorities from China, Chinese Taipei, Europe, Japan, Korea and the United States that meet annually to work with industry representatives to address issues of global concern to the semiconductor industry.

“The WSC and subsequent GAMS meetings are wholly unique to the semiconductor industry. No other industry drives collaboration across the globe in order to ensure fair trade practices, open competition and international standards,” said Ray Stata, chairman of the board, Semiconductor Industry Association and founder & chairman of the board, Analog Devices, Inc. “Outcomes and agreements from the GAMS process have the potential to substantially impact the strategic direction of the U.S. semiconductor industry.”

At this year’s GAMS meeting, representatives from the participating governments/authorities made meaningful progress on the following issues, among others: affirming that the competitiveness of companies and their products, not the intervention of governments and authorities, should be the principal determinant of industrial success and international trade; reiterating best practices in regard to encryption certification and licensing regulations, including the use of relevant international standards that follow the World Trade Organization’s Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee Decision principles; agreeing with the WSC on the need for product regulations that promote a global market and are based on relevant international standards, including the use of international test methods and test labs;  and, citing the need for strong intellectual property protection and cooperative semiconductor anticounterfeiting measures.  The GAMS also welcomed the work achieved so far by the industry to reduce emissions of greenhouses gases. GAMS noted the industry reduction announcement of a post-2010 reduction goal and commended WSC efforts to eliminate non-essential uses of PFOS, and reduce other uses.

GAMS also discussed a path forward for making progress on a future duty-free trade agreement on multi-components (MCOs). As consumers have demanded ever more sophisticated integrated circuit performance, semiconductor designers and manufacturers include additional electronic components inside a single package to increase functionality.  The promulgation of an MCO free trade agreement will spur technological progress while ensuring consumers reap the benefits of innovation, similar to the multi-chip package (MCP) duty-free trade agreement achieved by the GAMS several years ago. 

“As semiconductors are the cornerstone of the global technology industry, the principles and agreements that have come out of the GAMS process will have far-reaching implications across the global economy.  Past meetings have resulted in tariff reductions and improvements in intellectual property protections that benefit the worldwide industry,” said Brian Toohey, president, Semiconductor Industry Association.

To download the full 2011 WSC Joint Statement that was formally shared with the governments/authorities, visit this link,

http://www.sia-online.org/index.php?submenu=TradeDocs&src=directory&view=DocumentSIA&srctype=trade

For more information on the Semiconductor Industry Association, visit www.sia-online.org.