Taiwan Recognizes Outstanding Research and Industry Contributions

The Industrial Technology Research Institute announced in July the five award winners for innovations in artificial intelligence, radio-frequency, and net zero.  In a boost to the patent industry, the ITRI Executive Vice President Lee Tzong-Ming said that the winners have demonstrated how research can be profitable.  Outstanding research awards were given for denitrification, GaN-on-Si chip optimization, and satellite frequency performance upgrade.  Industry contribution awards were for scalable AI and motor-fan design.  In terms of industry contributions, an integrated AI solution is being used by 7-Eleven for its image recognition feature, speeding up check-outs at unmanned stores.  Also, a specialized motor-fan is being used in air-conditioning units and data centers for lowering heat and power consumption.  Conventional fan-motor parts rely on imported rare-earth materials and wear out quickly.  In terms of outstanding research, the denitrification system uses a non-toxic approach to process exhaust fumes under low temperatures.  This safe, efficient method is already being used by the textile and semiconductor industries to reduce air pollution.  ITRI’s proprietary GaN-on-Si technique uses the 8-inch wafer process to boost frequency for lower heat and power consumption.  It also shrinks integrated chips, antennas, and cooling parts into compact modules, allowing them to fit inside smartphones for satellite communication.  The satellite communication circuitry design further reduces power consumption by 15%, with production costs just 10% of its competitors.  As a product of homegrown research and development, the knock on effects on patent application growth are self-evident.

Taiwan Mulls Updating Trademark Fees

The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) announced proposed amendments to Article 2 of the Trademark Fee Standards section of the relevant law.  The draft amendments were published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on June 4, 2026, and have been made open for public comment.  The proposed updates primarily affect the calculation of official filing fees for service mark applications in Classes 35-45.  For Class 35, in addition to the current surcharge of NT 500 dollars for each retail service item in excess of five designated retail service items, the proposed amendment recommends that additional fees be charged when the total number of designated services exceeds 20 items.  Classes 36-45 would adopt a fee structure similar to that currently applied to goods classes (Classes 1-34), whereby additional fees will be charged when the number of designated services exceeds 20 items.  That is, NT 200 dollars for each additional item beyond 20 in each class.  The proposed amendments appear intended to harmonize the fee structure between goods and service classes and to encourage applicants to designate services more precisely.  If implemented, applicants with extensive service specifications should expect higher official fees, while applications covering 20 or fewer service items will generally remain unaffected.