Patent and trademark applicants may ask for reinstatement if failing to comply within a statutory time period due to the heated COVID-19 outbreak
As the title of this article suggests, if the delay of a statutory time period is caused by natural calamity or other causes not attributable to the applicant, according to Article 17 of the Patent Act and Article 12 of the Enforcement Rules of the Patent Act, or Article 8 of the Trademark Act and Article 9 of the Enforcement Rules of the Trademark Act, the applicant may file a request for reinstatement.
TIPO Publishes the draft amendments to the Copyright Act on January 30, 2020
To make Taiwan’s copyright laws more comprehensive, TIPO decided to propose draft amendments to the Copyright Act in terms of the major issues that can affect the public deeply. In total, 32 articles were amended, 5 articles were added, and three articles were deleted. The points to the amendments are as follows:
TIPO Statistics Report: Patent and Trademark Applications in 2019
In 2019, overall patent applications increased by 2% to 74,652 cases. Of these, invention patent has grown for three consecutive years (grew by 2% in 2019). Design patent rose by 9%, while the decrease in utility model patent applications narrowed. On trademark applications, 86,794 cases were filed, the highest since 2001. As to examination efficiency, the average disposal pendency was shortened to below 14 months and 7 months for invention patent applications and trademark applications respectively. This stable and reasonable pendency was maintained to provide applicants with fast and high-quality examination services.
TIPO’s Q4 2019 IPR Statistics Report
In Q4 2019, TIPO received a total of 20,141 applications for invention, utility model and design patents, a year-on-year increase of 2%. Of these, design patents saw a 14% growth. Applications for trademark registrations totaled 22,533 cases, the highest since 2003. Design patent applications filed by residents and utility model patent applications by non-residents grew by 28% and 21% respectively. As to invention patent applicants, TSMC and APPLIED MATERIALS led resident and non-resident applicants respectively.
Feel free to utilize our Compilation of the Important Court Rulings on Trade Secret Cases
Trade secret protection is becoming increasingly important. To assist businesses in catching up with Taiwan’s relevant judicial practices and trends, TIPO studied the civil and criminal cases relating to trade secrets from January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2019 from the courts of all levels and drew references from the Intellectual Property Court. A total of 76 cases, 57 civil and 18 criminal, were selected for making excerpts.
