Economy

Taiwan program fast-tracks patent applications

TIPO Director-General Wang Mei-hua expects shorter patent application review times of 24 months by 2016. (CNA)

• Publication Date：03/28/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Meg Chang

Processing speeds for Taiwan-lodged patent applications are set to significantly improve under a program that kicked off earlier this month, according to the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office March 27.

“The Taiwan-Support Using the Patent Prosecution Highway Agreement allows applicants to obtain patents more efficiently,” TIPO Director-General Wang Mei-hua said.

“We anticipate the agreement will enable applicants to receive a final ruling within six months after requesting accelerated processing of their cases,” Wang said. “This is down from the present average handling time of 45 months.”

The PPH program, finalized by the TIPO and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in August 2011, allows corresponding applications in Taiwan and the U.S. to receive expedited treatment. The TIPO is one of 20 intellectual property offices around the world to hold this agreement with the USPTO.

Projected to run for a six-month trial period, the program is subject to staggered reviews with staffing and processing adjustments made accordingly. As of March 28, the TIPO has accepted four applications requesting fast-track treatment.

“We expect demand to increase as word of the program gets out,” Wang said, adding that 170 examiners will be brought in to handle increased caseload and to set up a new center for patent and scientific literature research.

The center, scheduled to be up and running in early April, will help patent examiners cut review times by half, the official said. This is expected to take a chunk out of the TIPO’s 160,000-case backlog and shorten review times to 24 months by 2016. (JSM)

Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw