ALIPO IP ATTORNEYS

On November 30, 2018, Taiwan and Japan signed an MOU on the exchange of patent dossier information. The agreement paved the way for TIPO and JPO to jointly create a one-stop platform with real-time, high-quality, and comprehensive patent documents. Such a platform will make it easier for patent examiners to learn from one another’s examination practices, thereby improving examination quality and speed. It will also ensure greater uniformity when it comes to the granting of patents in Taiwan and Japan. In the long run, this should improve the quality and stability of patent rights granted by both countries.

After over two years of joint efforts by TIPO and JPO, from formulating technical specifications, confirming the security mechanism, establishing the IT system, to the connection test between both parties before the launch, the platform finally opened to the public in both Taiwan and Japan on January 12 this year (2021).

The Taiwan–Japan Patent Dossier Information Exchange service provides published patent application archives, including information on the patent families of invention patent and utility model patent in Taiwan and Japan, examination documents, IPC classification, and citations. For extra convenience, users can choose from four different query methods:

1. Query by domestic application number, publication number, or patent number.
2. Query by Japanese application number, publication number, or patent number.
3. Query by international DOCDB number.
4. Accessing the information via the query result page of the “File Wrapper Search System”