TIPO releases statistics of trademark and patent applications in 2022

　Taiwan IPO had received a total of 72,059 applications for three kinds of patents in 2022 with a slight decrease by 0.8%.  Among the overall applications, those filed for invention patents rose by 2% to 50,242 cases to mark a record high in the past ten years, while the applications for both utility model and design patents declined by 7% to 14,662 and 7,155 cases, respectively.  On the other hand, there had been a total of 94,778 trademark applications filed with Taiwan IPO, covering a total of 122,320 classes in 2022.  As to examination efficiency, the average first office action pendency was 8.8 months for invention patent applications, and 5.2 months for trademark applications, which are reasonable pendency periods.  

1.  Number of invention patent applications filed by resident applicants remained stable 

　There were a total of 19,400 applications filed for invention patent by resident applicants, a slight drop by 0.8% mainly attributable to the decrease in the filings by individual applicants and by research institute applicants.  On the contrary, invention patent applications filed by corporations and educational institutes grew by 1% and 7%, respectively.  Meanwhile, the number of utility model patent applications went downward by 6% to 13,669 cases, and design patent applications also experienced a drop by 3% to 3,411 cases, mainly as a result of a shrink in the number of the filings by individuals and corporations, while such a decline was a moderate one compared to that of 2021.  

2.  Non-resident applications for invention patents increased and Japan holding onto the 1^st position 
　　
  Non-resident applications for invention patents climbed by 4% to 30,842 cases, and the applications for utility model and design patents totaled 993 cases and 3,744 cases, respectively, seeing a decrease in the number of applications. 

　Among the top five filing countries of non-resident applications, Japan sat comfortably at the first position by filing 13,128 applications for three kinds of patents, down by 1%, staying ahead of the U.S. with 8,517 filings and China with 4,4,24 filings, which marks the two countries’ respective growth by 7% and 4%.  Among the top five filing countries, South Korea saw the highest rise by 16% by filing a total of 2,775 applications.  Also, a breakdown by the patent types shows that Japan also took the lead in the number of invention and design patent applications, while China outnumbered other countries in utility model applications.  

3.  Overall trademark applications remained constant and resident applications grew
　　
　The overall trademark applications totaled 94,778 cases covering 122,320 classes as the second highest count of applications in the past two decades to trail only the records set in 2021 that included 95,917 applications covering 123,217 classes.  Among the overall 94,778 trademark applications, resident applicants contributed 74,326 of them to result in 1% growth, while non-resident applications took up 20,452 to see a 9% drop.  

　China was the top filing country that filed the most non-resident applications with 4,324 filings to precede the U.S. ranking No. 2 with 3,572 filings and Hong Kong ranking No. 5 with 1,120 filings and Japan ranking No. 3 with 3,546 filings.  China, the U.S., and Hong Kong saw their respective fall in the number of applications filed with Taiwan IPO, while Japan had a 3% rise.  

4.  Uni-President maintained its position as the top resident applicant for three years in a row, while IPPLUS Technology surpasses other non-resident applicants 
　　
　Among resident corporate applicants, Uni-President headed the list with 834 applications for the 3^rd straight year since 2020, followed by Wowprime, which filed 189 applications and King Car Food, which filed 163 applications.  As to non-resident corporate applicants, IPPLUS Technology took the top spot with 150 applications, preceding Tencent Holdings, whose applications were 94 cases, and also Johnson & Johnson, whose applications were also 94 cases.  

　The statistics shows that most of resident applicants’ trademark applications were filed for registration under Class 35 (advertisements and business operation) in 15,220 cases, outnumbering those filed for registration under Class 30 (coffee, tea, pastries) in 7,308 cases, and those under Class 43 (restaurants and lodgings) in 7,206 cases.  It is noticeable that the COVID-19 pandemic generates a leap in the number of applications filed for registration of goods or services in the types of online shopping, remote technology, and video games that are categorized under Class 41 (education and entertainment) by a growth rate of 7.5% and Class 9 (computer and technology) by a growth rate of 2%, respectively.  

　On the other hand, most of non-resident applications were filed for registration under Class 9 (computer and technology) in 4,493 cases.  The numbers of applications filed under the top five classes all fell by 2%~21%, except for that of Class 42 (scientific and technological services).  

5.  Disposal pendency for patent and trademark applications remains stable and reasonable to be in support of businesses’ portfolio development

　Taiwan IPO has been going full on to optimize the examination quality and efficiency, and thus, the average disposal pendency is kept at 14.3 months for invention patent applications and 6.5 months for trademark applications, which will ultimately help businesses obtain their patent or trademark rights and develop their portfolios.  (Released 2023.02.10)  
/CCS