Patent Amendments ©(Part II of II)

Taiwan IP Updates ĄV July 2025

By Lyndon

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Academia Sinica Unveils Taiwan’s First quantum Chip Fabrication Platform

In early June, Academia Sinica unveiled its research and development achievements in quantum computer chip fabrication at its South Campus in Tainan, while inaugurating Taiwan’s first quantum chip fabrication and quantum computing test platforms. The achievements include the successful production of high-quality superconducting quantum-bits using 8-inch wafer equipment. Academia Sinica President, James Liao, said that quantum science is rapidly developing globally and requires simultaneous investment in advanced fabrication R&D talent and cutting-edge hardware. One major bottleneck in quantum computing lies in process stability and optimization, and the lack of quantifiable, high-quality fabrication processes. Liao emphasized that the two key quantum infrastructure facilities established by Academia Sinica will be open to collaborative use by academic and research institutions nationwide. According to materials provided by Academia Sinica, the newly unveiled fabrication platform is Taiwan’s first 8-inch process platform facility built specifically for superconducting quantum chip manufacturing, and it features complete fabrication capabilities and real-time testing equipment. This branch of computing is expected to be a powerful source of patents in the coming years.

Taiwan Announces Changes to the Second Draft Amendment of the Design Patent System

Continuing on from the first draft amendment, the second draft amendment still includes revisions of the design patent system and revisions of the mechanism for the true patent applicants to reclaim their rights through civil procedures. Highlights of the amendments so far include:

Computer-generated graphics and graphical user interfaces may constitute eligible subject matters for design patent protection. Also, computer-generated graphics and graphical user interfaces will be considered as articles.
One design patent application may cover multiple similar designs by using the multiple design application format, which is in line with the Hague Agreement and trends in the European Union and the United States.
The grace period for a design patent application will be extended from 6 months to 12 months.
Instead of requiring divisional applications to be filed before the re-examination procedure of the original application is included, the second amendment will allow divisional applications to be filed within three months after an approval decision of the original application at the first examination stage or at the re-examination stage.
The true rights holder will be allowed to resolve ownership disputes by using civil procedures, as well as to apply with the patent authority for a change of patentee.

Depending on the final content of the amended provisions and the actual implementation of patent examination guidelines by TIPO in the future, new design patent filing strategies will have to be formulated.

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