Liberty Times, November 1, 2024, Page A8
by Lin Jing-Hua
The Intellectual Property Office of the Ministry of Economic Affairs released third-quarter statistics on intellectual property trends. It is anticipated that TSMC will top the domestic invention patent application rankings for nine consecutive years. In terms of foreign patent applications, the top spot belongs to U.S. company Applied Materials, closely followed by South Korea’s leading company Samsung Electronics. The Intellectual Property Office has observed a gradual increase in the number of invention patent applications filed by South Korean companies in Taiwan in recent years, with the third quarter figures nearing those of China, indicating their commitment to establishing a patent presence in Taiwan.
U.S. company Applied Materials continues to lead in foreign patent applications.
According to the Intellectual Property Office’s statistics, TSMC filed 331 invention patent applications in the third quarter, ranking first among domestic applicants. Combined with the 721 applications filed in the first half of this year, TSMC’s applications exceeded 1,000 for the first three quarters, not only topping the domestic charts but also far surpassing foreign applicants. The Intellectual Property Office stated that TSMC has maintained the number one position since the third quarter of 2016 for nine consecutive years.
The second place was taken by AU Optronics with 99 applications, followed by Inventec, Nanya Technology, Innolux Corporation, Delta Electronics, Foxconn, UMC, Realtek, and MediaTek. Delta Electronics, with 81 applications, set a new historical high, and Foxconn, once the domestic application leader, filed 76 applications this quarter, showing rapid growth and a strong commitment to patent strategy.
The leader in foreign invention patent applications remains Applied Materials, with 254 applications, maintaining the top position among foreign companies. South Korea’s Samsung Electronics closely followed with 222 applications, and U.S.-based Qualcomm had 202 applications. Following them were South Korea’s Coupang, Japan’s Tokyo Electron, Nitto Denko, Fujifilm, the Netherlands’ ASML, Japan’s Kioxia, and Resnac. The semiconductor supply chain’s deep roots in Taiwan are evident. The Intellectual Property Office noted that both Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron reached historical highs in their application numbers.
According to the Intellectual Property Office’s statistics, the top five countries for foreign invention patent applications were Japan with 3,058 applications, followed by the United States, China, South Korea, and Germany. South Korea’s applications in the third quarter reached 872, nearing China’s 898, and for two consecutive years, third-quarter applications exceeded 800. The Intellectual Property Office explained that this indicates South Korea’s increasing focus on establishing a patent presence in Taiwan.
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