Currently in Taiwan, examination a patent application can be accelerated upon request; however, no such route is available for trademark applications. The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office proposes to practice the same for trademark applications. Thus, panel discussions have been ongoing.

Similar practices have been adopted in Australia, Germany, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the U.K., etc. Various conditions are set and applied in each territory. The examination period will be shortened from 5 working days (U.K.) to several months (Japan) if expedited examination is requested.

According to current practices in Taiwan, a trademark application can be expected to receive a notice of approval within 8 months if everything goes smoothly. If the applicant receives an official action, the granting period will be postponed depending on the complexity of the case.

If an accelerated examination for trademarks is launched, some requisites must be set that the applicant needs to comply with beforehand. We will continue to monitor and report an advances.