The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) has released its 2024 patent and trademark statistics, highlighting stable patent filings, a gradual recovery in trademark applications, and improved examination efficiency. The report provides insights into domestic and foreign filing trends, leading applicants, and shifts in Taiwan’s intellectual property landscape.

 

  Patent Applications: Stability with Evolving Trends

 

  In 2024, the TIPO received 72,742 patent applications, a slight increase of 2% from 2023. Among them, invention patents (50,823) saw a slight decline, while utility model patents (14,559) rebounded and design patents (7,360) continued to grow (Fig. 1).

 

Fig. 1 Trends in Patent Applications over the Past 5 Years

 

Fig. 2 Patent Applications by Residents (Domestic Applicants) and Non-residents (International Applicants)

 

  Patents by Domestic Applicants

 

  Domestic applicants adopted diversified IP strategies, with invention patent applications (19,586) decreasing by 0.2% and utility model applications (13,341) increasing by 0.2% (Fig. 2). Universities and research institutions focused more on protecting technological advancements, leading to a 3–8% increase in invention patent filings and a significant 13–57% rise in utility model filings. However, design patent applications declined by 3% to 3,338, primarily due to fewer university filings, while corporate filings increased by 5%, demonstrating strong interest in design protection in the industrial sector.

 

  Among domestic applicants, TSMC continued to dominate Taiwan’s patent landscape, with the most invention patent filings for the fifth consecutive year. Leading iPhone assembler Foxconn ranked fourth, experiencing a notable 125% year-on-year increase in applications.

 

Fig. 3 TIPO’s Top Taiwanese Applicants for Patents in 2024

 

  Patents by International Applicants

 

  Invention patent applications filed by international entities rose slightly by 0.1% to 31,237 (Fig. 2). Japan led with 12,307 applications, followed by the US (6,817), Mainland China (3,472), South Korea (3,365) and Germany (1,035). South Korea and Germany saw the highest growth at 8%, while Japan and Mainland China declined by 2% and 9%, respectively. These trends are depicted in Fig. 4, showing the top five origins for invention patent applications in 2024.

 

Fig. 4 Top 5 Origins for Invention Patent Applications in 2024

 

  Design patent filings by international entities grew by 4.5% to 4,022 (Fig. 2). Japan remained the top filer with 880 applications, followed by the US (772), Mainland China (755), Switzerland (370) and Germany (241). Mainland China showed the strongest growth rate at 61%, while Japan, the US and Switzerland saw a 6% decline (Fig. 5).

 

Fig. 5 Top 5 Origins for Design Patent Applications in 2024

 

  Regarding the leading international applicants for patents overall, Applied Materials reclaimed the top foreign filer position, reflecting the continued commitment in investment in Taiwan’s semiconductor and technology sectors. Japanese and Korean companies expanded their presence, with Japanese firms holding 11 of the top 20 spots among foreign applicants. Additionally, companies such as Coupang, Tokyo Electron Limited, ASML, Shin-Etsu and Lam Research all set new records for patent filings in 2024 (Fig. 6).

 

Fig. 6 TIPO’s Top International Applicants for Patents in 2024

 

  Trademark Applications: Modest Decline, Increase in Foreign Filings

 

  In addition to patent filings, trademark applications also showed signs of recovery in 2024, despite an overall decline of 1% to 90,341. This represents an improvement from the 3% drop recorded in 2023. Trademark applications from international applicants rebounded strongly, increasing by 7% to 20,955, while resident filings fell by 4% to 69,386. Fig. 7 illustrates these trends in both domestic and foreign applications.

 

Fig. 7 Trademark Applications by Residents (Domestic Applicants) and Non-Residents (International Applicants)

 

  Mainland China remained the leading producer of foreign filers with 5,624 applications, followed by Japan (3,397), the US (2,822), South Korea (1,919) and Hong Kong (1,227). The US declined by 3%, while the other major jurisdictions grew by 13–28% (Fig. 8).

 

Fig. 8 Top 5 Origins for Trademark Applications in 2024

 

  Among domestic applicants, Uni-President led trademark filings for the sixth consecutive year with 709 applications, followed by MOMO.COM (216) and Wu, Ruo-Mei (163), whose trademarks are mostly related to religion and folk culture. Tencent Holdings led non-resident filings with 146 applications, followed by L’Oréal (86) and Kao (81), reflecting continued brand expansion in Taiwan. These figures are summarized in Fig. 9, showing the top domestic and international applicants.

 

Fig. 9 TIPO’s Top 5 Domestic and International Applicants for Trademark Applications in 2024

 

  A closer look at trademark classification trends reveals shifts in brand protection strategies (Fig. 10). The highest number of resident trademark applications were filed in Class 35 (Advertising and Business Management), with 13,407. Among the top 10 categories, Class 3 (Cosmetics), Class 5 (Pharmaceuticals) and Class 42 (Scientific and Technological Services) fluctuated between -0.3% and +2.2%, while other categories fell by between 1.8% and 10.6%.

 

  For non-resident applications, Class 9 (Computers & Technology) saw the most filings at 3,848. Class 3 (Cosmetics), Class 25 (Clothing) and Class 18 (Leather Goods & Luggage) recorded strong double-digit growth of 12.2–15.4%, while Class 5 (Pharmaceuticals) and Class 42 (Scientific & Technological Services) declined by 3.7% and 9.8%, respectively.

 

Fig. 10 Top 10 Classes of Trademark Applications by Domestic and International Applicants in 2024

 

  Conclusion: Improving Efficiency and Strengthening IP Strategies

 

  The TIPO continued to make improvements in examination efficiency, ensuring faster IP protection for applicants. In 2024, the average first action pendency for invention patents improved to 8.4 months, a 0.5-month reduction from 2023. The backlog of pending patent applications decreased to 52,712, contributing to a more efficient examination process (Fig. 11).

 

Fig. 11 Invention Patent Examination

 

  A similar trend can be observed with trademark examinations; first action pendency was shortened to 6.1 months, a 0.1-month reduction from the previous year. The number of pending trademark applications dropped to 52,860, reinforcing the TIPO’s commitment to streamlining processing times (Fig. 12).

 

Fig. 12 Trademark Examination

 

  Overall, the TIPO’s 2024 statistics reflect stable patent filing activity, a recovering trademark market, and improved examination efficiency. Foreign applicants remain highly active in Taiwan, particularly those from South Korea and Mainland China, which saw strong growth in both patent and trademark applications. At the same time, domestic industries are refining their IP strategies, and universities and research institutions are strengthening their efforts to protect technological advancements.

 

  With Taiwan’s IP market becoming increasingly competitive, businesses should prioritize early registrations, monitor competitive filings, and develop proactive IP strategies. As Taiwan continues to optimize its regulatory framework, applicants must stay informed on policy updates and utilize expert legal counsel in order to effectively navigate Taiwan’s evolving IP environment.