In the first year of his term, Justin Wu, chair of Taiwan Patent Attorneys Association (TWPAA), spent his time both promoting Taiwan's patent system overseas and inviting in-house patent professionals working in industry into the association. In his view, the core problem with Taiwan's patent system is not only the decline in quantity but also the fall in quality. Reversing this state of affairs, he suggests, relies on the work of patent professionals.
"I've been three times to Germany, another three times to Japan, and three or four times to China […]," since his inauguration, Justin Wu has visited his counterparts in other countries to promote Taiwan's patent system more frequently than any other TWPPA member. "You know what? They are all very interested in Taiwan, and are very willing to apply for Taiwanese patents," said Wu.
In Wu's opinion, the year-on-year decline of Taiwan's patent applications should stop in the coming two years. It's not difficult to maintain this level." However, he also said that this doesn't necessarily mean the application number will rebound. "There is still a long way to go."
Patent-related Professionals Should Be More Proactive
As an experienced patent attorney, Wu suggests that the decline is only an outcome of a bigger problem, and that the solution is not to ask tech companies to increase their patent applications. "In major economies like the US, Japan, or China patent applications have been increasing year in year out, while Taiwan seems to be the only place seeing a decline. This implies that there is more than one dimension to the problem."
He suggested that, for example, the low damages awards and the high percentage of unsuccessful patent infringement lawsuits is a serious problem. "If we can increase the chances of successful outcomes for patent holders in lawsuits, as well as increasing the damages awarded, the value of patents is sure to rise, and inventors will be more willing to file applications."
After studying the R&D process of tech companies, Wu states that to promote patent value, all patent professionals should be involved. As soon as he took over this position, Wu set up a sub-committee of TWPAA for those who work as in-house patent attorneys in industry. "The TWPAA is not exclusively for patent agents; patent professionals who work in-house for tech companies should be included too."【unfinished; for further reading: IP Observer 010: Detecting Counterfeit Goods With Help From Customs With The WCO’s IPM Platform】