Patent Amendments ©(Part II of II)

Taiwan Intellectual Property ĄV Latest Developments

By Lyndon

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TIPO 2020 Half Year IPR Statistics

33,954 applications were made for invention, utility model and design patents in the first six months of 2020 marking a 4% decrease compared to 2019. Trademark registration applications increased to 43,385 cases in the same time period reaching a record high level. In terms of invention patent applications, TSMC was the top-ranking domestic company and applications by domestic SMEs rose by 14%. Local enterprises accounted for over 75% of the domestic invention patent applications showing the sector as a major force for innovation in Taiwan. TSMC came top with 375 cases, Mediatek second with 211 cases and AU Optronics third with 210 cases. In a challenging business environment, these results show the resilience of the IP Developments in Taiwan.

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New Fast Track trademark examination mechanism to commence from May 1^st

In order to speed up the trademark examination process, those applications that meet certain criteria will be examined two months earlier than others. The criteria are: those using e-filing, applications for plain trademarks, and those trademarks with the names of the designated goods or services that are exactly the same as the ones listed in TIPOĄŚs e-filing system. The system will determine whether a case is suitable for the Fast Track process. By potentially allowing trademarks to be registered by an average 1.5 months earlier than usual, this will benefit the applicant considerably. Nevertheless, the First to File principle will still hold.

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Amendments to the Substantive Examination Guidelines for Public Hearing Soon

In response to the latest developments in digital technologies, TIPO has recently drafted an amendment to the Substantive Examination Guidelines for Design Patents which is part of the Examination Guidelines for Patents. There will be adjustments to the rules about descriptions, graphs, interior designs and computer program products. The discussions concerning the amendments are ongoing, and TIPO will make further announcements in due course. Potentially, this will make applications go more smoothly.

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Series of Seminars on Confidentiality Measures for Businesses co-hosted by TIPO

A series of seminars on Appropriate ConfidentialityMeasures for Businesses are being held in Taipei, Taichung and Tainan in Taiwan in August and September. Both TIPO and the Taiwan Association for Trade Secrets Protection (TTSP) representatives will share their thoughts and suggestions to the business community. By doing so, the hope is that businesses will have a sounder knowledge of strategies to protect their trade secrets and the legal measures they can take to tackle infringement. The wider world can also see that Taiwan is a mature economy that has a solid patent management system.

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