Release of TIPO’s 2018 annual report: traditional Chinese edition
2019/06/20 TaiwanDate Posted：2019-06-14
In 2018, TIPO devoted to improving patent and trademark application processing procedures and examination quality, solidifying IPR legal schemes, assisting industry in utilizing and protecting IPR innovatively, and expanding international cooperation and exchange.
TIPO’s patent and trademark processing system has been in place for 10 years. The electronic system has not only enabled the public to utilize the service online around the clock, but has also greatly improved examination efficiency. The average disposal pendency of invention patents and trademarks has respectively shortened to 14 months and 7 months. Moreover, in 2018, the Hearing System for Patent Invalidity was launched for the first time to increase patent examination quality and to skip appeal procedures so as for the parties involved to quickly resolve disputes.
To keep Taiwan’s IP legal regime in line with the times, TIPO pushed for the amendments to the Patent Act, the Copyright Act and the Trade Secrets Act, and we completed amendment issues of the Trademark Act. The amendments to the Patent Act, for instance, extended the term of design patent from 12 to 15 years. The draft amendments to the Trade Secrets Act introduced the system of confidentiality orders in hopes to strengthen the efficacy of investigation relating to trade secrets.
To assist industry to develop innovative products, as well as global IP portfolios, TIPO established a global patent search system (GPSS) which allows users to search and analyze over 53 million entries of patent information from IP5, WIPO, and TIPO free of charge. Patent search functions in GPSS were also further strengthened. Not only so, in hopes of helping industry to register outstanding patents, our patent examiners for the first time went to companies for two-way learning and exchange of patent services and technologies.
As to international exchange, we signed an MOU with EUIPO on IPR bilateral cooperation, established PPH cooperation with CIPO, and signed an MOU on patent dossier exchange with Japan. We also deepened IPR exchange with the countries listed in the New Southbound Policy.
Our efforts and achievements, as well as related statistics of the past year are included in the annual report. Please feel free to download and read it.
For more information, please click the following link: https://www.tipo.gov.tw/public/Attachment/951513425687.pdf
Intellectual Property Office Ministry of Economic Affairs, R.O.C.
