In the third quarter of 2023, the TIPO received a total of 18,310 applications for invention, utility model, and design. Of these, the number of invention patent applications was 12,670, marking a slight increase of 1% from the same period last year. The number of utility model patent applications (3,782) and design patent applications (1,858) remained steady. The number of invention patent applications filed by resident applicants increased by 1%, while the increase in applications for the three types of patents filed by non-resident applicants ranged from 1% to 14%.
Most of the top ten applicants for invention patent applications showed double-digit growth rates. Among them, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) filed 443 applications, ranking first for the eighth consecutive year in the third quarter; Delta Electronics (67 applications) witnessed the highest growth rate with a 103% increase and Nuvoton Technology Corporation (62 applications) reached a new record high.
Among the top five applicants for design patent applications, Chang Gung Memorial University of Science and Technology (33 applications) is the only university on the list, ranking first for the first time and setting an all-time record for itself. The number of applications filed by Delta Electronics (14 pieces) notably increased by 100%, while Hi-Joint Technologies Corporation (10 applications) entered the top five for the first time, ranking fifth.
A total of 7,840 invention patent applications were filed by non-resident applicants, marking a slight increase of 1% over the same period last year. Among the top five countries (regions), Japanese applicants filed the most applications (3,100 applications), while applications filed by Korean applicants (884 applications) saw the fastest growth and increased by 28%. Among the top ten non-resident applicants, Samsung Electronics (KR) ranked first with 285 applications. Others include Coupang Corporation (KR) (168 applications), Tokyo Electron (JP) (168 applications), Resonac (JP) (67 applications), and Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. (JP) (65 applications), all of which hit their respective all-time-high records. In addition, applications from Coupang Corporation increased by 291%, the highest growth rate among all non-resident applicants.
The top five applicants for design patent applications all saw growth in their filings. Of these, Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft (BMW, DE) ranked first place with 63 applications.
A total of 23,632 trademark applications (covering 29,478 classes) were received by the TIPO, a decrease of 7% compared with the same period last year. The number of applications filed by resident applicants (18,790 applications) and non-resident applicants (4,842 applications) both decreased.
Most of the top ten resident applicants showed growth in the filings of applications, with Taishin Bank ranking first with 264 applications. A breakdown by Nice classification shows that resident applicants filed the most applications (3,772 applications) in Class 35, “Advertising, Business Management, Retail and Wholesale Services, etc.”
The largest number of non-resident trademark applications was from mainland China with 1,246. Most of the top ten non-resident applicants also showed growth, with Tencent Holding Limited (KY) ranking first place with 38 applications. A breakdown by Nice classification shows non-resident applicants filed the most applications (983 applications) in Class 9, “Computer and Technology Products, etc.”
Among the trademark applications received by the TIPO, “Agriculture” (6,303 applications) ranked first among all industry categories, followed by “Business Services” (4,840 applications) and “Health” (4,745 applications). Resident applicants were more active in applications under “Agriculture” (5,372 applications), the majority of which were for restaurant and accommodation industries. By contrast, most applications by non-resident applicants were filed under “Research and technology” (1,609 cases).
(Translated from the Hot News announced on the website of the TIPO)
*Section Chief of International Patent Division at Tai E International Patent & Law Office
