Taiwan–U.S. Patent Priority Document Exchange Program Officially Launches on September 4, 2026
[ September 08, 2026 ] >Back| TIPO and USPTO officially implemented the electronic Priority Document Exchange (PDX) program on September 4, 2026. Under the PDX program, priority documents may be exchanged electronically between TIPO and the USPTO by submitting an Access Code, without the need to submit the certified copies separately. 1. Taiwan Application as the Priority If the application is first filed in Taiwan and priority is later claimed in a corresponding US application, an Access Code for the Taiwan application may be requested from TIPO. No official fee is required. The current standard processing time is approximately 20 working days. 2. US Application as the Priority If the application is first filed with the USPTO and priority is later claimed in a corresponding Taiwan application, an Access Code may be obtained from the USPTO. If the Access Code is not available when filing the Taiwan application, the relevant information may be supplemented within the following statutory periods:
Handling of Failed Electronic Exchanges in Taiwan Where the electronic exchange fails due to a system or transmission issue between the two offices and the failure is not attributable to the applicant, the priority document may still be deemed submitted within the statutory period if obtained through coordination between TIPO and USPTO. By contrast, where the failure results from an incorrect Access Code or incorrect information concerning the priority application, TIPO will notify the applicant to correct the information or submit a certified copy of the priority document within two months. Retroactivity in Taiwan Patent applications filed in Taiwan before September 4, 2026, and pending submission of a priority document are also eligible to use this PDX program retroactively. Should you have any questions about the PDX program, please feel free to contact us via email (jawhwa@jaw-hwa.com.tw). |