經通國際智慧產權事務所

In 2021, overall patent applications increased by 1% to 72,613 cases. Of these, invention patent applications (49,116 cases) grew by 5%, while utility model (15,796 cases) and design patent applications (7,701 cases) decreased by 10% and 4% respectively. For trademark applications, 95,917 cases were filed—the highest number recorded ever since TIPO was founded in 1999. As to examination efficiency, the average disposal pendency was 14.0 months for invention patent applications and decreased to 6.2 months for trademark applications.

Resident invention applications highest since 2014 with growth seen in industry and research institutes

Invention patent applications (19,547 cases) filed by residents hit their highest level since 2014. This was due to a 6% rise in the number of applications by corporations, with those filed by large enterprises alone increasing by 9%. Meanwhile, applications by research institutes also saw a growth of 2%. However, utility model (14,543 cases) and design applications (3,534 cases) went down by 12% and 10% respectively due to the decreases in the corporation and individual sectors (Table 1, Figure 2, Figure 3). As for non-residents, there was an overall increase in applications for invention (29,569 cases), utility model (1,253 cases), and design (4,167 cases) patents, seeing a growth of 7%, 13%, and 2% respectively (Table 1, Figure 2).

Japan claims top spot in non-resident patent applications

A breakdown by applicant nationality shows that Japan continued to top the list with 13,324 overall applications, followed by the US (7,986 cases) and mainland China (4,253 cases), while South Korea (2,388 cases) had the highest growth rate among the top 5 countries. Japan also led in the number of invention and design patent applications, and mainland China surpassed other countries in utility model applications (Figure 4).

Overall trademark applications reach record high due to growth in resident and non-resident applications

As for trademarks, the number of applications reached 95,917 cases (covering 123,217 classes), showing a growth of 2%. This was mainly due to a 2% and 3% increase in resident (73,374 cases) and non-resident applications (22,543 cases) respectively (Table 1, Figure 5, Figure 6).

Among the top 5 trademark-filing countries or regions, mainland China (4,929 cases) took the lead, followed by the US (4,032 cases) and Japan (3,437 cases). Applications filed by mainland China and the US were up 8% and 6% respectively, while those by Japan were down 14% from last year (Figure 7).

Class 35 (business operation) and Class 9 (computer and technology products) of the Nice Classification reports the strongest growth in resident and non-resident trademark filings respectively

With regard to resident trademark applications, Class 35 (advertisements and business operation) topped the list with 15,034 classes, marking an increase of 13% (Figure 8). Among resident applicants, UNI-PRESIDENT ranked first with 567 classes, followed by TAIWAN FAMILYMART (180 classes) and KING CAR FOOD (147 classes) (Figure 9).

Regarding non-resident trademark applications, Class 9 (computer and technology products) led with 4,502 classes, while Class 42 (scientific and technological services) recorded the strongest growth with 20% (Figure 8). Among non-resident applicants, BUNNY GIRL led with 135 classes, followed by XIAOMI (132 classes) and SHISEIDO (107 classes) (Figure 9).

Invention patent and trademark application pendency remain stable

TIPO went full throttle to step up examination efficiency. As a result, the average disposal pendency was less than 14 months for invention patent applications. For trademark applications, average disposal pendency dropped to 6.2 months—a record low since 2009. Pending applications for both invention patent and trademark applications were maintained at about 50,000 cases (Figure 10, Figure 11) to help businesses quickly obtain IP rights and begin developing portfolios.