In Q1 2022, TIPO received a total of 17,498 patent applications (including invention, utility model, and design patents), marking a 2% increase from the same period last year, whereas trademark applications (24,450 cases) grew by 0.3%. As for invention patents, applications from domestic colleges and universities saw a growth of 16%, and non-resident applications increased by 10%. TSMC came out on top (723 cases) among resident applicants, and Qualcomm (242 cases) led all non-resident applicants. Most trademark applications were filed under the “Agriculture” industry with resident applications taking a larger share; as for non-residents, applications in “Research and Technology” outnumbered other industries. Uni-President (220 cases) and Guangdong Longshun International Logistics (76 cases) ranked at the top among resident and non-resident applicants, respectively.

Patent Applications

• The number of invention patent applications (12,534 cases) saw a growth of 5% compared to the same period last year and accounts for a majority of all patent applications received by TIPO. The increase is mainly due to a 10% increase in the number of non-resident applications. However, the number of invention patent applications filed by residents (4,697 cases) decreased somewhat. As for design patents, 1,636 applications were filed: the number of applications filed by residents grew marginally by 0.4%, whereas that of non-residents declined (Table 1).
• The number of invention patent applications from domestic enterprises (3,745 cases) fell by 2% mainly due to a decrease of applications in small and medium enterprises (748 cases). On the other hand, the applications filed by large enterprises (2,997 cases) remained steady.
• As for resident applications, all top 10 invention patent applicants and top 5 design patent applicants were enterprises. Although the number of invention patent applications filed by enterprises declined, 6 out of the top 10 invention patent applicants saw double-digit growth. TSMC topped the list with 723 invention patent applications - hitting a record high since TIPO first published the record in 2012. Both Innolux and Nanya also reached their respective all-time-high records by tying at 98 cases. Moreover, Acer and Crown MFG tied for first place, each filing 18 applications in design patent (Figure2, Figure 3).
• Except for enterprises, domestic applications filed by colleges and universities (371 cases) surged by 16%. Conversely, applications by research institutions (76 cases) decreased.
• For non-resident applications, those for invention patents (7,837 cases) accounted for the majority of all patent applications, growing by 10%. Among non-resident applicants, Japan took the lead with 3,555 invention patent applications. The number of invention patent applications of all top 5 filing countries (regions) increased. Of these, the USA and Germany saw double-digit growth. The number of design patent applications filed reached 859 cases, and Japan came out on top with 251 applications (Table 1, Figure 1).
• As for top non-resident applicants, Qualcomm led the list of top 10 invention patent applicants by filing 242 applications and Intel outnumbered others by a staggering increase of 914% (Figure 2). Among design patent applicants, PSA occupied the leading place with 38 applications, and BMW saw significant growth of 88% (Figure 3).

Trademark Applications

• Compared to the same period (Q1) last year, trademark applications (22,450 cases) received by TIPO showed a 0.3% increase; the number of classes covered (30,024 classes) also showed a 4% increase. The number of resident applications (17,358 cases) was up by 2%, while that of non-residents (5,092 cases) were down (Table 1). The share of resident applications was 77%, marking a 1% increase over the same period last year.
• In terms of application classes, resident applicants filed the most applications (3,501 cases) in Class 35 “Advertising, Business Management, Retail and Wholesale Services, etc.”, marking an 8% increase (Figure 4). Uni-President filed 220 applications and saw staggering growth of 358%, ranking first among resident applicants (Table 2).
• Mainland China filed the most applications (1,130 cases) among non-resident applicants (Figure 1). In terms of application classes, non-resident applicants filed the most applications (1,208 cases) in Class 9 “Computer and Technology Products, etc.” and saw the highest growth rate with 26% in Class 42 “Scientific and Technological Services and Research” (Figure 5). Guangdong Longshun International Logistics filed 76 applications, outnumbering all other non-resident applicants (Table 3).
• As for industry categories, most trademark applications received by TIPO were classified under “Agriculture” (6,346 cases), and resident applications (5,337) represented the larger share. The agriculture industry also saw the largest difference in the number of applications between residents and non-residents (Figure 6). Among the top 3 industry categories, resident applications filed under “Agriculture” and “Business and Financial Services” saw continued growth for two consecutive years.

• Publish Date : 2022-05-24
• Update : 2022-05-24
• Organization : International Legal Affairs Office
• Visitors : 746