TIPO Statistics Report: Patent and Trademark Applications in 2023

In 2023, the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office received a total of 72,607 patent applications, marking an 1% increase compared to the previous year. Of these, invention (50,854 cases) grew by 1%, reaching a new high in 11 years. However,  utility model patent applications (14,466 cases) decreased by 1%, while design patents (7,287 cases) experienced a positive turnaround, growing by 2%. Trademark applications amounted to 91,535 cases, reflecting a 3% decrease. As to examination efficiency, the average first action pendency was 8.9 months for invention patent applications and 6.2 months for trademark applications.

Resident invention and design applications rose, while utility model applications fell

In 2023, invention patent applications (19,634 cases) increased by 1%, mainly due to a 4% rise in filings from corporations. However, utility model applications (13,309 cases) experienced a moderate decrease by 3%, marking a contraction between 2022 and 2023. Design applications (3,437 cases) showed a positive trend (+1%) after 6 years, driven mainly by surges in filings from schools and individuals (Table 1, Figure 2, Figure 3).

Non-resident invention patent applications hit new high, while utility model and design patent applications also grew

Non-resident applications for invention patents hit an all-time high at 31,220 cases (+1%), while utility model (1,157 cases) and design (3,850 cases) patents increased by 17% and 3%, respectively (Table 1, Figure 2).

A breakdown by applicant nationality shows that Japan continued to claim the top with 13,504 overall patent applications in 2023, followed by the US (7,647 cases), mainland China (5,002 cases), the Republic of Korea (3,299 cases), and Germany (1,198 cases), with both mainland China and R. Korea reaching their record highs. Furthermore, R. Korea had the fastest growth rate of 19% among the top 5 countries (regions), while Mainland China also saw a sharp growth rate of 13%, while the US and Germany fell by 10% and 4%, respectively. Japan also led in the number of invention and design patent applications, and mainland China surpassed other countries in utility model applications (Figure 4).

Trademark applications declined to the height before the COVID-19 pandemic

The number of trademark applications decreased by 3% to 91,535 cases (covering 114,680 classes, -6%), returning to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Notably, there was a 3% and 4% decrease in resident (71,960 cases) and non-resident applications (19,575 cases), respectively (Table 1, Figure 6, Figure 7).

Among the top 5 trademark-filing countries or regions, mainland China (4,822 cases) took the lead, followed by the US (3,007 cases) and Japan (2,899 cases). Applications numbers filed by mainland China showed a rise of 12%, while those from the US and Japan were down 16% and 18%, respectively (Figure 8).

UNI-PRESIDENT ranked No. 1 resident trademark applicant in Taiwan for 4th straight year, while TENCENT HOLDINGS led in non-residents

For the fourth year in a row, Uni-President remained No.1 resident trademark applicant with 583 applications in 2023. It is followed by Taishin Int. Bank (454 cases) and Che Tai Int. (163 cases). With regard to non-resident applicants, Tencent Holdings of Cayman Islands moved up to the top with 118 applications, followed by Int. Foodstuffs of United Arab Emirates (93 cases) and L'Oreal of France (90 cases) (Figure 9).

With regard to resident trademark applications, Class 35 (Advertising; business management; retail services) topped the list with 14,477 cases, followed by Class 43 (Services for providing food, temporary accommodation; 7,187 cases) and Class 30 (coffee, tea, pastries; 6,390 cases). Except for stable application numbers in Class 43 and Class 25 (Clothing, footwear, headwear; 2,896 cases), all application numbers for the top 10 classes decreased by 2.4% to 12.6% (Table 2).

Regarding non-resident trademark applications, Class 9 (computer and technology) led with 3,910 cases. With the exception of Class 30 (coffee, tea, pastries; 1,116 cases; +6.7%), all application numbers for the top 10 classes decreased by 2.1% to 23.5% (Table 2).

Invention patent application pendency remained stable to help build industry portfolio

TIPO went full throttle to optimize examination quality and efficiency. As a result, the average first action pendency was 8.9 months for invention patent applications in 2023 (Figure 5). For trademark applications, the average first action pendency rose by 1.0 month to 6.2 months due to 8-year surges in trademark applications and limited manpower. However, 90,043 cases were disposed of in 2023, which accounts for 98.37% of trademark applications (Figure 10).

• Publish Date : 2024-03-05
• Update : 2024-03-05
• Organization : International Legal Affairs Office
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