Taiwan Intellectual Property Office-Services-IP News about COVID-19-Handling of Patent and Trademark Applications During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Handling of Patent and Trademark Applications During the COVID-19 Pandemic

If the CECC declares level 4 restrictions in Taipei City (the location of TIPO) due to the pandemic, or if the Taipei Municipal Government suspends all work:

For ongoing patent and trademark applications during this time, regardless of whether any delays are statutory or specified, the applicant should complete all acts within 30 days after the date of lifting the suspension. It shall be deemed as the applicant having applied for reinstatement in accordance with Article 17 of the Patent Act or Article 8 of the Trademark Act, and no additional documentation is necessary.
If TIPO ceases receiving and issuing documents at the main TIPO office, but field offices remain open as the municipal government where they are located have not suspended work, then the applicant may submit a patent or trademark application in paper and mail it to any field offices. The date of the postmark or the date of receipt at the field office shall prevail.
TIPO shall strive to maintain online services for patent and trademark applications and e-delivery systems. If the patent applicant has signed for delivery of the e-document, then it is considered as officially delivered. However, in the event that the system malfunctions resulting in a suspension of the relevant services, TIPO shall announce this suspension of service on its official website.

If the applicant's place of residence or patent agent's place of business listed upon the patent application is located in a county or city that has announced the suspension of work, the above-mentioned principles of late statutory or specified period of processing shall apply loosely to the patent application in question.
If counties or cities outside of Taipei City is declared a level 4 restriction zone by the CECC due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a suspension of work, or when municipal governments declare a suspension of work, then the aforementioned principals shall apply to any relevant patent or trademark applications.