Taiwan's pilot scheme for accelerated examination of design patents extended for two years

The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) has currently extended the accelerated examination program for design patents by two years, which will end on December 31, 2026. At that time, it will evaluate whether to continue to implement or modify the program based on the trial situation.

When to file a request for accelerated examination:

• A request for accelerated examination may be made at any time after the initial examination and before the first notification of the examination opinion.

How to submit a request for accelerated examination:

• Electronic applications are submitted with relevant supporting documents, and there is no official fee for accelerated review.

Reasons for requesting accelerated examination:

• Reason 1: Potential risks of third-party commercial implementation
  • The applicant must attach relevant documents proving the commercial implementation by a third party, such as product catalogs, newspapers and magazines, etc., and should clarify the third party's information, implementation behavior and its start time.
• Reason 2: This design has won famous design awards at home and abroad
  • The applicant must attach a certificate of award that matches the applicant’s name and a document proving the appearance of the corresponding winning design. The design awards recognized by TIPO are as follows:
    • 1. Taiwan Golden Pin Design Award
    • 2. iF Design Award
    • 3. Red Dot Design Award
    • 4. Good Design Award
    • 5. International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA)
• Reason 3: The applicant is a new start-up
  • If the applicant is a newly established company, each newly established company can apply for three accelerated examination applications in the same year.
  • A newly-founded company is defined as one that has been registered and established for less than eight years under the Company Law of Taiwan or a foreign legal organization; the calculation period of a company's establishment is from the date of its establishment to the filing date of the design patent application. If priority is claimed, the earliest priority date shall prevail.
  • If the applicant requesting expedited review is a foreign company, it should attach a certificate of the foreign company's establishment date and provide a Chinese translation; if the certificate is not the original, a notarized document should be provided.