I. Overall Trends in Patent and Trademark Applications

In the fourth quarter of 2024, TIPO received a total of 19,977 patent applications, including 14,107 invention patents, 3,888 utility model patents, and 1,982 design patents, marking a 1% increase compared to the same period in 2023 (Figure 1). Among these, the number of invention patents in the fourth quarter has shown a steady increase over the past five years. The proportion of the total number of all three types of patents from both resident and non-resident applicants was roughly equal. Resident applications rose by 4% compared to the previous year, while non-resident applications saw a slight decrease of 1%.

A total of 21,401 trademark registration applications (covering 26,961 classes) were filed, showing an 8% decrease compared to the same period last year (Figure 2). Among these applications, 76% were from residents and 24% from non-residents. The number of trademark applications has shown a declining trend in recent years.

II. Overview of Patent Applications Filed by Residents

1. Top Ten Invention Patent Applicants

Resident invention patent applications totaled 5,546, with 4,259 applications filed by enterprises. The top ten applicants for invention patents were led by TSMC, with 360 applications. The others in the top ten included ITRI (243), AU Optronics (128), Nanya Technology (121), Hon Hai (109), Realtek (103), MIRDC (86), Innolux (81), Acer (74), and Inventec (72) (Figure 4). Notably, TSMC has ranked first for two consecutive years since the fourth quarter of 2023, while Hon Hai saw a remarkable 160% increase in applications compared to the previous year.

2. Top Five Design Patent Applicants

Resident design patent applications totaled 938, with the top five applicants led by L&F Plastics, which filed 43 applications. The other top applicants included B'In Music (24), Godmiracle (19), Matsushita Electric (14), and Coplus (13) (Figure 5). Notably, B'In Music and Godmiracle entered the top five for the first time, highlighting their focus on design innovation.

3. Overview of Patent Applications Filed by Non-Residents

1. Filing Countries (Regions) of Invention Patent Applicants

Non-resident invention patent applications totaled 8,561, with the top five countries/regions led by Japan, which filed 3,194 applications. The other top countries/regions included the US (1,837), R. Korea (1,100), mainland China (1,009), and Germany (303) (Figure 3). Among these, Japan and R. Korea have experienced positive growth for two consecutive years. Particularly, R. Korea has seen growth rates of 16% and 14% over the past two years, demonstrating a highly active patent strategy in Taiwan.

2. Top Ten Invention Patent Applicants

Among the top ten non-resident applicants for invention patents, Coupang from R. Korea ranked first with 240 applications, followed by the Applied Materials (238) from the US, Samsung Electronics (230) from R. Korea, Tokyo Electron (192) from Japan, ASML (107) from the Netherlands, Qualcomm (97) from the US, Nitto Denko (90) from Japan, Shin-Etsu Chemical (83) from Japan, Lam Research (82) from the US, and Screen Holdings (81) from Japan (Figure 4). Coupang, Tokyo Electron, and Shin-Etsu Chemical reached record application numbers, with Coupang becoming the top non-resident applicant for the first time. This highlights Taiwan’s importance as a hub for semiconductor R&D and innovation, as well as its appeal for cross-border e-commerce.

3. Filing Countries (Regions) of Design Patent Applicants

Non-resident design patent applications totaled 1,044, with the top five countries/regions led by mainland China, which filed 221 applications. The other top countries/regions included Japan (198), the US (175), Switzerland (106), and Italy (68) (Figure 3). Notably, mainland China surpassed Japan and the US this quarter, ranking first.

4. Top Five Design Patent Applicants

Among the top non-resident applicants for design patents, Gessi from Italy led with 40 applications, followed by the Apple from the US, Harry Winston from Switzerland, and Zhejiang Geely Holding from mainland China, each with 36 applications, and Ford Global Technologies (31) from the US (Figure 5). Notably, Gessi and Zhejiang Geely Holding reached new highs in the number of applications, demonstrating their strong focus on the Taiwan market and active investment in protecting their unique product designs.

4. Overview of Trademark Registration Applications

1. Top Ten Resident Applicants for Trademarks

Resident trademark registration applications totaled 16,174, with the top ten applicants led by Momo.com, which filed 140 applications. The other top applicants included Gongtian Temple  (104), Uni-President (82), Chin Yee Chemical (45), Lungyen Life (40), the ITRI (39), Xu, Yu-Jie (33), Wowprime (32), TaoYuan Long-De Temple (32), and TCI (29) (Table 1).

2. NICE Classification of Resident Applications

The top three categories of resident trademark applications are as follows: Class 35 (advertising, business management, retail and wholesale services, etc.) with 3,174 applications, Class 43 (restaurants, lodgings, etc.) (1,545), and Class 30 (coffee, tea, pastries, etc.) (1,307) (Figure 7). This indicates that resident applicants primarily focus on business management, consumer-related services such as restaurants and accommodations, and products like coffee and pastries.

3. Filing Countries (Regions) of Non-Resident Applications

Non-resident trademark registration applications totaled 5,227, with the top five countries/regions led by mainland China, which filed 1,363 applications. The other top countries/regions included Japan (919), the US (729), R. Korea (492), and Hong Kong (267) (Figure 6). Except for the US, the other four countries/regions showed positive growth in their application numbers.

4. Top Ten Non-Resident Applicants for Trademarks

Among Non-resident trademark applicants, the top applicant was Huang Cheng-Fang from mainland China, with 72 applications. The other top applicants were Toyota Jidosha (38) from Japan, Tencent Holdings (35) from the Cayman Islands, Kao (23) from Japan, Procter & Gamble (22) from the US, Celgene (21) from the US, and Bayer from Germany, Target Brands from the US, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical from Japan, and CompanionAI Networks from Singapore, each with 18 applications (Table 2).

5. NICE Classification of Non-Resident Applications

The top three categories of non-resident trademark applications are as follows: Class 9 (computer and technology products, etc.) with 952 applications, Class 35 (advertising, business management, retail and wholesale services, etc.) (652), and Class 3 (cosmetics, detergents, etc.) (583) (Figure 8). Non-resident applicants primarily focused on registering trademarks for computer and technology products (Class 9) in Taiwan, while applications in cosmetics and detergents (Class 3) have been growing rapidly.

6. Analysis of Applications by Industry

The top industries for trademark applications were "Agriculture" with 5,427 applications, followed by "Health" (4,483) and "Business Services" (4,311).

The top three industries for trademark applications are as follows: For resident applicants, "Agriculture" led with 4,329 applications, primarily from trademark applications related to restaurants and accommodations. For non-resident applicants, "Research and Technology" topped the list with 1,488 applications (Figure 9). Additionally, there is a growing number of non-resident trademark applications in both "Health" and "Agriculture."

Note: The above statistical analysis for type of applicant and applicant nationality is based on the first applicant.

Reference URL: https://www.tipo.gov.tw/en/lp-302-2.html

• Publish Date : 2025-02-27
• Update : 2025-02-27
• Organization : International Legal Affairs Office
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