Major Milestones
Building Strong IP Environment in Taiwan to Safeguard the Intellectual Property Rights for Local Industries
In 1985, the American multinational telecommunications company AT&T began filing patent assertion litigations against its global competitors. In 1993, with permission from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, ITRI offered over 2,000 patents to establish a cross-license agreement with AT&T. This agreement significantly reduced manufacturers’ royalty fees and ensured the continuous development of Taiwan’s integrated circuit (IC) industry.
In 1999, Taiwan’s Fundamental Science and Technology Act came into effect, granting ITRI independent authority to utilize patents. Since then, the Institute has actively formulated patent plans, optimized patent quality, and assisted industries in defending themselves against foreign patentees to maintain their competitive edge. The following are some noteworthy cases.
In 2001, Sharp Electronics, Samsung, and LG filed patent lawsuits against Taiwan’s panel manufacturers. In response, ITRI contributed over 200 patents and formed the Taiwan TFT LCD Association (TTLA) in 2003, with seven domestic panel manufacturers. This partnership played a crucial role in helping the panel industry survive the crisis and maintain a strong presence in the global market.
In 2008, ITRI assisted Acer in resolving its lawsuit with the established US technology company, HP Inc., through patent assignments and cross-license agreements. Given that Acer was one of the world’s top four computer brands at the time, supporting Acer was tantamount to safeguarding Taiwan’s computer industry. In 2017, ITRI also aided Matsutek Enterprises in winning its lawsuit against the leading US company, iRobot, through patent assignments.
In 2020, ITRI established the IP Bank in collaboration with various industry, academia, and research sectors to expand patent portfolio benefits. This high-quality patent bank encompasses diverse fields, including 5G, electric vehicles, and net zero technologies. In 2022, the Institute further solidified its partnership with LiteOn through an IP rights agreement, strengthening collaboration with the industry.
In 2020, ITRI joined forces with the Small & Medium Enterprise Credit Guarantee Fund of Taiwan (Taiwan SMEG) and 26 banks to introduce the patent financing evaluation guarantee project and the value-added technology financing value preservation project, bridging technology with capital markets. To date, nearly 50 businesses have successfully applied for finance, with a total value exceeding NT$200 million.
As of 2023, ITRI has been selected as one of the Top 100 Global Innovators for the seventh time in six consecutive years, making ITRI the organization with the most wins for this award in Taiwan and among the research organizations in Asia. The Institute remains committed to evolving and safeguarding Taiwan’s exceptional intellectual property environment and the intellectual property rights of local industries.
ITRI launched Taiwan’s first open tendering of patent rights. In the subsequent year, ITRI brought together the domestic academic and research sectors to roll out Taiwan’s first nationwide patent rights joint transfer auction. The goal was to stimulate intellectual property competitiveness among the industrial, academic, and research sectors.
ITRI established the international intellectual property strategic introduction mechanism to strengthen domestic businesses’ intellectual property power and patent competitiveness.
ITRI assisted Acer in resolving a lawsuit with HP Inc. This event opened up Acer’ market in US and propelled it to became a globally renowned notebook computer brand.
ITRI introduced the Patent Map System (PMS), setting the foundation for domestic industries to roll out high-value patents.
ITRI filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the US against Samsung. This was the first case for a Taiwanese research institute to successfully claim rights against a foreign entity.
ITRI established the IP Bank and thereby set up the spin-off company Intellectual Property Innovation Corporation that established IP protection mechanisms.
ITRI won its first Top 100 Global Innovators award.
ITRI aided Matsutek Enterprises in winning its lawsuit against iRobot, safeguarding the development of Taiwan’s robot vacuum key component supply chain industries.
ITRI co-hosted the IPBC Taiwan 2018 with IAM, a renowned intellectual property magazine.
ITRI promoted IP finance with SME Credit Guarantee Fund and Taiwan Business Bank.
ITRI collaborated with SME Credit Guarantee Fund and 26 banks to launch the value-added technology financing value preservation project. The objective is to support and encourage SMEs and startups to gain funds with technology.
ITRI won its sixth Top 100 Global Innovators award.
