TIPO’s Q4 2018 IPR Statistics Report
2019/04/08 Taiwan• Date Posted：2019-03-06
In Q4 2018, TIPO received a total of 19,800 applications for invention, utility model, and design patents, a 2% increase from the same period of last year. Of these, invention patent applications grew for eight consecutive quarters. Applications for trademark registrations (21,600 cases) also grew by 2%. The numbers of invention patent applications filed by domestic and foreign applicants and trademark applications filed by foreign applicants respectively reached all-time high since 2014, 2013, and 2011. Among domestic applicants, TSMC filed the most invention patent applications. As to foreign applicants, Alibaba Group Services topped the list.
Patent
• Invention patent applications (13,200 cases) increased by 5%, a growth for eight consecutive quarters (Table 1 and 2). Design patents (2,003 cases) grew by 2%. Utility model patents stood at 4,597 cases, a 7% drop from the same period of last year (Table 1).
• Of residents’ applications, 5,511 cases were filed for invention patents, registering a small increase from the applications of enterprises and colleges. However, utility model applications (4,315 cases) and design applications (951 cases) fell (Table 1).
• Invention patent applications filed by domestic enterprises and their ratio to domestic invention patent applications grew over the same period. The TSMC once again led by 296 cases. ITRI (274 cases) and AU OPTRONICS (187 cases) stood at the second and third spot respectively (Figure 2). AU OPTRONICS accounted for a huge growth of 95% with the highest growth among the top 10 enterprises and the most cases ever since 2012.
• Invention patent applications filed by domestic colleges and their ratio to domestic invention patent applications grew over the same period. Conversely, applications by research institutions and their ratio to domestic invention patent applications decreased.
• Of non-residents’ applications, invention patent applications (7,689 cases) and design patent applications (1,052 cases) grew by 7% and 20% respectively while applications for utility model (282 cases) decreased (Table 1). Design patent applications grew mainly because of the huge growth (+46~525%) in the number of applications filed by the US, mainland China and France. Utility model applications filed by major countries saw decline (Figure 1).
• By nationality of foreign applicants, Japan topped the list with 3,240 invention patent applications (Figure 1). Among the largest filing companies, ALIBABA GROUP SERVICES came on top with 254 cases and outperformed others by an increase of 121% in this period (Figure 2).
Trademark
• The number of new applications for trademark registration (21,600 cases) in Q4 2018 increased by 2% from the same period of last year (Table 1). Applications filed by residents (15,160 cases) and non-residents (6,440 cases) were up slightly.
• Applications filed by non-residents grew for seven consecutive quarters (Table 2), mainly due to positive growth of mainland China, Japan and US in past quarters. Among foreign applicants, mainland China stayed on top with 1,506 cases, followed by Japan (1,322 cases) and the US (1,013 cases). Applications filed by the top five filing countries (regions) primarily are in Asia. Japan accounted for a growth of 23% (Figure 1).
Download: TIPO’s Q4 2018 IPR Statistics Report.pdf
Intellectual Property Office Ministry of Economic Affairs, R.O.C.
