Sept. 2021 Revision of the Article-by-Article Interpretation of the Trademark Act
To promote public awareness of the Trademark Act, TIPO published the Article-by-Article Interpretation of the Trademark Act in 2004 and has continued to revise it in response to amendments to relevant laws. After the previous revision (January 2017), the attached list to Article 19 of the Enforcement Rules of the Trademark Act and the infringement identifying process in Article 7 and 9 of the Regulations Governing Customs Measures in Protecting the Rights and Interests of Trademark have been amended. Additionally, a number of examination guidelines have also been established or amended, including the Principles for Examining Trademarks Which Include the “Cross Device”, Operational Directions for Third-Party Observations on Trademark Registration Applications, and Examination Guidelines on Procedural Examination of Applications for Trademark Registration. Trademark-related laws and judicial practices have changed considerably, hence the revision this year.
2020 Invention Patent Application Trends across Technology Fields during COVID-19 Pandemic
In 2020, TIPO received 43,921 invention patent applications. Among them, resident applications remained stable, while non-resident applications decreased by 6%. South Korea rose by 5.5% among filing countries/regions, while Japan, the US, mainland China, and Germany dropped by 2%~8%. Semiconductors and computer technology took the top 2 spots among 35 technology fields. However, their downward trajectories, coupled with the decrease in digital communication filings, were considered to be the major cause of the dip in overall invention filings. On the other hand, the applications filed in the fields of medical technology and biotechnology saw double-digit growth.
Intellectual Property Office Ministry of Economic Affairs, R.O.C.
TIPO has updated its classification list of industrial designs in accordance with the 13th edition of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Locarno Classification for Industrial Designs (effective since 2021); changes include newly added categories for various arrangements of shop interiors and window displays as well as emerging technologies such as virtual reality devices.
TIPO’s Interpretations of the Patent Act Available!
To facilitate all to better understand the Patent Act, TIPO compiled the Interpretations of the Patent Act and published it on the website on July 2nd.
Compilation of Selected Court Rulings on Trade Secret Cases Published on TIPO’s Website
To assist businesses in catching up with Taiwan’s relevant judicial practices and trends and to build a more complete trade secret protection mechanism, TIPO studied civil and criminal cases relating to trade secrets from courts at all levels from July 1st, 2019 to December 31st, 2020. A total of 40 cases of great value for reference, including 17 civil cases and 23 criminal cases, were selected and excerpted. Compilation of Selected Court Rulings on Trade Secret Cases was compiled in accordance with the three requirements for trade secrets, civil remedies and damages claims, and criminal charges for trade secret infringements. The compilation is available on TIPO’s website!
