Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (阿里巴巴) was the top filer of invention patent applications in the nation for the first quarter, beating out all local and foreign firms, the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Intellectual Property Office (IPO) said yesterday.
The Chinese e-commerce company filed 267 invention patent applications, up from 76 applications a year earlier, or an increase of 251 percent, the office said.
The increase was mainly thanks to Alibaba producing products locally, IPO Deputy Director-General Liao Cheng-wei (廖承威) said, adding that the feat might prompt other foreign companies to apply for patents in Taiwan.
Photo: AP
The increased number of filings by Alibaba might hinder product sales by local e-commerce companies, Liao said, urging them to prevent possible infringements by checking the office’s online patent database.
LCD panel maker AU Optronics Corp (友達光電) ranked first for the first quarter among local companies with 187 invention patent applications, up from 133 a year earlier, or an increase of 41 percent, the office said.
The number of AU Optronics patent filings has shown rapid growth over eight consecutive quarters — since the second quarter of 2017.
The company’s increase in applications reflects its efforts to diversify its portfolio of display panels and greater spending on research and development (R&D), Liao said.
The Industrial Technology Research Institute (工研院) ranked first among local R&D institutions with 52 invention patents applications, up 4 percent year-on-year, as the institute develops applications in the 5G, Internet of Things, information and communications segments.
There were 1,044 design patent applications — 53 percent of the total — from foreign countries, up 18 percent year-on-year, Liao said, adding that 88 filings came from France, a 450 percent increase thanks to an increase of logo designs in the automobile industry.
Japan filed the most applications with 372 design patents (a 12 percent increase), followed by the US with 172 (a 9 percent increase), the office said, adding that foreign applicants are more concerned about protecting their intellectual property in the local market.
The office received 1,984 design patent applications, a 2 percent increase year-on-year, continuing a growth trend from the third quarter of last year, the office said.
Overall, the number of applications for invention patents, utility model patents and design patents fell slightly to 17,243 filings, a decrease of 2 percent from a year earlier, the office said.
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