Taiwan's First Semi-Annual Statistical Report in 2021 for Patent and Trademark Filings

Taiwan Intellectual Property Office has released new statistics of patent and trademark filings for the first two quarters of 2021.

35,264 new patent applications and 46,379 new trademark applications were filed, representing increases on the previous year of 4% and 7% respectively for the same time period. The number of filings for domestic large enterprises went up significantly, with a 21% increase. Among these, TSMC filed for 1,263 applications, breaking through the 1K threshold for the first time and surpassing all other domestic and foreign applicants. The highest number of invention patent applications from foreign entities was made by Qualcomm, who filed 454 applications.

The number of trademark applications hit a record high, and the number of filings from both domestic and foreign applicants increased by 7%. Generally speaking, the trend for patent and trademark filings for the first half of 2021 was one of continued steady growth.

Patent Applications

(1)   The number of invention patent applications by domestic applicants has increased by 10%.

There were 23,876 invention patent applications filed. The number of filings by both domestic and foreign applicants increased, by 13% and 6% respectively. The number of utility model and design patent filings from foreign applicants also increased, by 22% and 5% respectively.

(2)   The number of TSMC invention patent applications for the first half of 2021 is the highest in history.

There were 7,650 invention patent applications filed by corporate applicants, accounting for a full 79% of all domestic applications and contributing to a positive growth rate over five consecutive years. Among the applicants, TSMC filed 1,263 invention patent applications, representing a healthy growth rate of 237%. This is the first time an applicant has exceeded the 1,000-application figure over a six-month period, signifying the increasingly pivotal role played by TSMC in Taiwan’s research and development in technological innovation. As for design patents, the car parts producer Coplus filed a total of 59 applications, the highest figure of all domestic applicants, enjoying a growth rate of 90%.

(3)   Filings from research institutions increased by 4%.

The government-affiliated Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) filed 101 applications, the highest number in this category.

(4)   Qualcomm and Harry Winston filed the most invention and design patent applications respectively.

Among the countries with the largest number of patents in Taiwan, Japan topped the list for both invention and design patents, with 6,044 and 512 applications respectively. As for utility model applications, mainland China had the largest number, with 358 applications. The highest number of invention patent filings by a foreign applicant came from the world wireless technology leader Qualcomm, who filed 454 applications, whereas Coupang from Korea enjoyed the largest growth rate, with a figure of 442%. The American jeweler Harry Winston headed the list of foreign design patent applicants, with 97 design applications, as well as a 31% growth rate.

Trademark Applications

(1)   The number of trademark filings from domestic applicants hit a new record high.

There were 46,379 case-based trademark applications filed, and 59,814 class-based applications filed, representing an increase of 7% on last year over the same period. While filings from both domestic and foreign applicants both increased, the number of filings from domestic applicants reached a total of 35,048.

(2)   The class with the most domestic applications made was class 35; the class with the most foreign applications was class 9.

Domestic applicants filed 6,919 applications (with a growth of 16%) in class 35 for “advertising, business management, retail and wholesale services.” Foreign applicants filed 2,115 applications in class 9 for “computer and technology products.” Among the foreign origins with the most trademark applicants for this period, China took first place.