Following approximately ten years after the signing of the Electronic Priority Document Exchange (“PDX”) agreements with Japan and Korea, Taiwan has finally welcomed its third PDX partner country, the United States. The PDX mechanism between the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) officially came into effect on 4 September 2026.

The United States has long been the top foreign jurisdiction for Taiwanese enterprises and individuals filing overseas patent applications, with annual filings reaching approximately 20,000 cases. According to TIPO statistics for 2025, the U.S. was also the second-largest foreign applicant origin in Taiwan, accounting for 7,663 applications in 2025 (10.63% of total applications). The successful launch of the Taiwan-US PDX, combined with existing bilateral exchange mechanisms with Japan and Korea, will significantly enhance the efficiency of global patent portfolio strategies for multinational enterprises and individuals.

Under this mechanism, applicants filing an invention, utility model, or design patent with TIPO (as the Office of First Filing, or OFF) will obtain an access code that they can use to electronically submit priority documents to a patent office that has signed a PDX agreement with Taiwan (as the Office of Second Filing, or OSF, such as the USPTO). Conversely, applicants who file their first application in the United States can also use an access code to claim priority in Taiwan. Pursuant to Taiwanese patent law, the access code must be submitted within 16 months of the earliest priority date for invention and utility model patents, and within 10 months for design patents.

The bilateral Taiwan-US PDX cooperation not only effectively simplifies complex cross-border application procedures and accelerates patent examination, but also significantly saves applicants time and cost in obtaining and submitting priority documents. Furthermore, even patent applications that were filed and claimed priority prior to the launch of the new mechanism are now eligible for this convenient PDX service.

Published: 16 September 2026