Under the Regulations for Reduction and Exemption of Patent Annuities, where a patentee is a natural person, a school recognized by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, or a small & medium-sized enterprise (SME), it can file a request with the Taiwan IP Office (TIPO) for reduction of annuities. Foreign patentees are allowed to file such a request as well.
Where multiple patentees co-own a patent, the request shall be filed in the name of all patentees and each of them shall meet one of the said qualification criteria.
As of June 26, 2020, the requirements to claim SME status in Taiwan are newly defined by the Ministry of Economic Affairs as follows:
- (1) an enterprise whose paid-in capital is no more than NT$100 million, or
- (2) an enterprise which hires fewer than 200 regular employees.
TIPO may, when it deems necessary, require the patentee submit relevant document(s) of proof.
Where an annuity reduction request is granted, the 1st through the 3rd annuities shall be reduced NT$800 per year, and the 4th through the 6th annuities shall be reduced NT$1,200 per year.