Executive Yuan approves draft amendment to partial provisions of the Taiwan Patent Act

　In response to the relaxation of domestic economic laws and rules and the international regulation adjustments and also for completing and integrating patent examination practices, the Executive Yuan approved the draft amendment to partial provisions of the Taiwan Patent Act on December 27, 2018.  The amendment will further be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review and deliberation.  

　This amendment comprises 17 provisions with respect to relaxation of the time limit and applicable scope for filing a divisional application, acceleration of invalidation proceedings examination, time limit for post-grant amendments of utility model patent, extension of duration term of design patents, time period of patent files preservation, other provisions to complete the legal regime for patents, and transitional provisions.  Among those amended provisions, the extended patent term of a design patent from 12 to 15 years will enhance industrial development in Taiwan.  (December 2018)

/CCS