To help promote the development of design innovation, the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) now proposes to lower the current annuity fees of design patents in Taiwan in order to be comparable with those fees in other countries. TIPO hopes the lowering of annuity fees for design patents will help prompt applicants to file more design applications so as to improve the business environment.
TIPO’s proposed annuity fees (NT$):
| - | Taiwan | United States | Japan | EPO | South Korea | China |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 79442 | 417508 | 477719 | 128709 | 243318 | 476214 |
| 2006 | 80988 | 452633 | 456363 | 135399 | 250136 | 573178 |
| 2007 | 81834 | 484955 | 443150 | 141423 | 247915 | 694153 |
| 2008 | 83613 | 485312 | 434023 | 146644 | 244787 | 828328 |
| 2009 | 78425 | 482871 | 388978 | 134542 | 238540 | 976686 |
| 2010 | 80494 | 509367 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1222286 |
Reference Rate NT$29 = US$1
*Reduced fees refer to the “Measures on Remission on Patent Annuities” where the patentee is a natural person, a school1, or a medium/small enterprise2), and the annuity fees from the 1st to 6th year could be reduced by NT$800 for the 1st to 3rd annuities and NT$1200 for the 4th to 6th annuities. The reduced fees would automatically be applied if the patentee is a natural person or a local school; if the patentee is a foreign school or a medium/small local or foreign enterprise, a written application requesting reduced annuity fees must be filed with TIPO (accompanied by a power of attorney for foreign applicants), and later if TIPO deems it necessary, supporting exhibits may be requested.
Remarks:
- “School” refers to an educational institution recognized and approved by our Ministry of Education.
- “Medium/small enterprise” refer to the company which meets with the Recognized Standards for Medium or Small Enterprises promulgated by our Ministry of Economic Affairs, such as a manufacturer whose actual capital is less than NT$80 million (about US$2.75 million), or its annual turnover is less than NT$100 million (about US$3.44 million).
TIPO is currently soliciting public opinions from applicants, patent agents and enterprises, and prior to officially lowering the patent annuity fees, the proposal will have to be reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, and if approved, the new fees may be implemented soonest from July 2011.
