TIPO’s Q3 2021 IPR Statistics Report

In Q3 2021, TIPO received a total of 18,139 patent applications (including invention, utility model, and design patents) as well as 24,699 trademark applications; this represents a 4% and 5% decrease, respectively, compared with the same period last year. Invention patent applications filed by large domestic enterprises saw an increase of 6%. TSMC took the lead among resident applicants (580) and Applied Materials among non-resident applicants (220). Most trademark applications were filed under “Agriculture.” Uni-President (250) and Shenzhen Futu Network (71) ranked the top among resident and non-resident applicants, respectively.

Patent Applications

• Among the three types of patent applications, there were 12,248 invention patent applications filed, a number that grew by 2%, compared to the same period last year. The growth was mainly due to an increase in non-resident applications. On the other hand, the number of utility model and design patent applications fell (see Table 1).
• The applications from domestic enterprises (3,757) grew slightly. Applications filed by large enterprises (3,010) rose by 6%, hitting a record high in five years, representing a robust R&D capability.
• Most of the numbers of applications of top 10 invention patent applicants and top 5 design applicants increased. Among them, TSMC claimed the top spot with 580 applications, dominated invention patents for 6 consecutive years. As for Acer, with 30 applications, it leaped to the top of design patent applications for the first time, outnumbering all others (see Figure 2 and 3).
• The number of non-resident applications showed slight growth, mainly due to an increase of 5% in invention patents (see Table 1). Among non-resident applicants, Japan took the lead with 3,060 invention patent applications and 268 design patent applications (see Figure 1).
• As for the top 10 non-resident applicants, Applied Materials topped the invention patent list by filing 220 applications; PSA occupied the leading place in design patents with 74 applications (see Figure 2 and 3).

Trademark Applications

• Compared to the same period (Q3) last year, trademark applications TIPO received showed a 5% decrease at 24,699; the number of classes covered showed a 3% decrease at 31,594. The number of resident applications fell by 7%, while that of non-resident remained constant (see Table 1).
• In terms of application classes, resident applicants filed the most applications (4,158) in class 35 (advertising, business management, retail, wholesale services, etc.), marking a 9% increase (see Figure 4). Uni-President filed 250 applications, ranking first among resident applicants. Hki Da Jiang took the second spot with 86 cases in Q3 2021, showing a rapid growth compared to the 0 cases in Q3 2020 (see Table 2).
• The majority of non-resident applications were filed under class 9 (computer and technology products, etc.), totaling 1,177 applications (see Figure 5). Mainland China filed the most applications (1,366) compared to other countries/regions (see Figure 1). Shenzhen Futu Network, which was not an applicant in Q3 2020, filed 71 applications, outnumbering all other non-resident applicants (see Table 3).
• As for industry categories, most trademark applications TIPO received are classified under “Agriculture.” Resident applications show a high concentration in “Agriculture” at 6,087, a number far more significant than those of other non-resident applications. Non-resident applications were mostly filed under the “research and technology” industry at 1,976 (see Figure 6).

     IPR Statistics Report

Source: TIPO (https://www.tipo.gov.tw/en/cp-282-898736-ae227-2.html)