The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) implemented WIPO Standard ST.26 on August 1, 2022, which requires nucleotide and/or amino acid sequences presented in invention patent applications to comply with the Standard. In order to facilitate preparing Chinese sequence listings in the XML format and to expedite prosecution, the TIPO recently relaxed the requirements for translating sequence listings in the XML format into Chinese. After the requirement changes, it is only necessary to translate the title of invention, the name of applicant and the name of inventor into Chinese, and translation for specific qualifiers is not required. The changes can also apply to applications for which the TIPO has already notified the applicant to supplement the Chinese translation of the sequence listing. Also, the TIPO recommends to submit a separate English listing in the XML format when filing an invention patent application including a sequence listing in a foreign language.

 (Translated and summarized from the news announced on the website of the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office)

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