The Taiwan-U.S. Patent Prosecution Highway program was implemented in September after a 12-month trial, according to the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office Dec. 21. The program enables TIPO and its counterpart U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to fast-track examination procedures for applicants in both countries and obtain corresponding patents more efficiently. Since Sept. 1, 2011, TIPO received 226 patent applications from U.S. firms with an average review time of 3.2 months.
The survival rate of Taiwan heart transplant recipients has risen over the past decade, the ROC Bureau of Central Health Insurance announced Dec. 21. From 2000 to 2011, heart transplants recipients increased from 162 to 330, with the cumulative survival rate at 36 months following surgery rising from 63.58 percent to 71.76 percent.
Write to Rachel Chan at ccchan@mofa.gov.tw