BY ALEX C. H. TSUNG

The Intellectual Property Office in Taiwan (TIPO) has published a statistical report for patent applications in Taiwan in Q1 2022. According to the report, the TIPO received a total of 17,498 patent applications in Q1 2022, which constitutes an increase of 2% compared to Q1 2021. Of the three types of patent applications, the number of invention patent applications (12,534 cases) increased by 5% while the number of utility model patent applications (3,328 cases) decreased by 6% and the number of design patent applications (1,636 cases) decreased by 5%.

For patent applications filed by foreign applicants, the total number  (8,983 cases) increased by 7%. The growth is mainly due to an increase of 10% in the number of invention patent applications (7,837 cases), albeit a decrease of 9% in the number of each of utility model patent applications (287 cases) and design patent applications (859 cases). Japanese applicants ranked first with 3,555 invention patent applications and 251 design patent applications.

For patent applications filed by domestic applicants, the total number of applications (8,515 cases) decreased by 3% due to a decrease of 1% in the number of invention patent applications (4,697 cases) and a decrease of 6% in the number of utility model patent applications (3,041 cases). On the other hand, the number of design patent applications (777 cases) slightly increased by 0.4%.

(Translated and summarized from the news announced on the website of the Intellectual Property Office in Taiwan, https://www.tipo.gov.tw/tw/cp-87-905018-d9369-1.html)

*Section Chief of International Patent Division at Tai E International Patent & Law Office