Based on statistics reports from the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office, there was a modest increase in both patent and trademark applications of 2019. In total, 74,652 patent applications were filed, representing an overall increase of 1.67%. Among three types of patent applications, invention cases were increased by 1.76%, utility model cases decreased by 1.84% and design cases increased by 8.93%. The total trademark applications accounted to 86,794, with an increase of 2.33%. The key statistics are provided in the following tables.
Table 1: Filing cases of Taiwan Patent Applications for recent three years
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invention | 46,122 | 47,429 | 48,268 |
| Utility Model | 19,549 | 17,910 | 17,580 |
| Design | 8,120 | 8,082 | 8,804 |
| Total | 73,791 | 73,421 | 74,652 |
Table 2: Filing cases of domestic and foreign applicants for Taiwan patent applications
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic applicant | Foreign applicant | Domestic applicant | Foreign applicant | Domestic applicant | Foreign applicant | |
| Invention | 18,199 | 27,923 | 18,365 | 29,064 | 18,984 | 29,284 |
| Utility Model | 18,343 | 1,206 | 16,661 | 1,249 | 16,412 | 1,168 |
| Design | 4,293 | 3,827 | 4,252 | 3,830 | 4,208 | 4,596 |
| Total | 40,835 | 32,956 | 39,278 | 34,143 | 39,604 | 35,048 |
| Percentage Rate | 55.33% | 44.67% | 53.49% | 46.51% | 53.05% | 46.95% |
Table 3: Filing cases for major origins of Taiwan patent applications
| 2018 | 2019 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invention | Utility Model | Design | Total | Invention | Utility Model | Design | Total | |
| Japan | 12,871 | 74 | 1,224 | 14,169 | 13,195 | 74 | 1,329 | 14,598 |
| USA | 6,393 | 175 | 777 | 7,345 | 6,341 | 184 | 912 | 7,437 |
| Mainland China | 2,595 | 615 | 296 | 3,506 | 2,723 | 560 | 415 | 3,698 |
| South Korea | 1,766 | 12 | 118 | 1,896 | 1,656 | 16 | 142 | 1,814 |
| Germany | 1,197 | 9 | 305 | 1,511 | - | - | - | - |
| Hong Kong | - | - | - | - | 1,018 | 118 | 146 | 1,282 |
| Note: Patent applications by Hong Kong applicants grew double digits in 2019 and overpassed Germany to take fifth place in 2019. | ||||||||
Table 4: Filing cases of Taiwan trademark applications for recent three years
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic applicants （Percentage） | 61,215 （74.05%） | 59,840 （70.55%） | 61,928 （71.35%） |
| Foreign applicants （Percentage） | 22,587 （26.95%） | 24,976 （29.45%） | 24,866 （28.65%） |
| Total | 83,802 | 84,816 | 86,794 |
Table 5: Filing cases for major origins of Taiwan trademark applications
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland China | 4,830 | 5,770 | 6,108 |
| Japan | 3,892 | 4,728 | 4,748 |
| USA | 3,684 | 4,187 | 3,621 |
| South Korea | 1,521 | 1,440 | 1,668 |
| Hong Kong | 1,579 | 1,649 | 1,617 |
| Note: In 2019, the trademark applications increased 15.83% for Korean applicants and decreased 1.94% for Hong Kong applicants. | |||
Table 6: Filing cases for major classes of Taiwan trademark applications in 2019
| Nice classification | Domestic applicants | Nice classification | Foreign applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 35 (Advertisements, business operation, etc.) | 11,040 | Class 9 (Computers and technology products, etc.) | 4,761 |
| Class 43 (Restaurants, lodging, etc.) | 6,620 | Class 35 (Advertisements, business operation, etc.) | 3,239 |
| Class 30 (Coffee, tea, pastries, etc.) | 6,235 | Class 3 (Cosmetics, detergents, etc.) | 2,902 |
| Class 5 (Pharmaceuticals, medical preparations, etc.) | 4,596 | Class 5 (Pharmaceuticals, etc.) | 2,646 |
| Class 9 (Computers and technology products, etc.) | 3,972 | Class 41 (Education, entertainment, etc.) | 2,005 |
Table 7: Top applicants of Trademark applications in 2019
| Domestic applicants | Number of applications | Foreign applicants | Number of applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Uni-President Enterprises | 432 | 1. Huawei | 166 |
| 2. Taichung City Government | 360 | 2. Line | 138 |
| 3. Che Tai International | 136 | 3. Shiseido | 97 |
| 4. King Car | 92 | 4. Off-White | 97 |
| 5. China Airlines | 84 | 5. Amore Pacific 　Xiaomi | 87 87 |
| Note: For top patent applicants, please refer to our newsletter of “2019 Taiwan Top 100 Patent applicants.” | |||
Table 8: Examination times for 2019 Taiwan patent and trademark applications
| Examination times | Patent Application | Trademark Application |
|---|---|---|
| Average time to issue first opinion letter | 8.4 months | 5.2 months |
| Average time to issue decision | 13.6 months | 6.7 months |
