80% Cut in The Number of Outside Patent Examiners with No New Recruits Available Until August 2007 Bound to Reduce Speed of Examination of Applications. Impact on Timely Grant of Patents Feared.

　TIPO will not renew the contract with over 300 outside patent examiners which will expire at the end of 2006 and no new recruit can be put on board until August 2007.  This means the total number of patent examiners will sharply reduce from some 600 to 291 after the end of the year.  This under staff problem mainly stems from the need to internalize the entire staff of patent examiners according to the relevant congressional resolution.  The Legislative Yuan approved the budget for TIPO to recruit a total of 87 personnel including 10 trademark examiners and 2 administrative personnel on condition that the number of outside patent examiners be cut down to 80.  This will certainly jam the progress of patent examination. 

　The patent examiner new recruits were supposed to report on board in November 2006 but they will not be able do so until after June 2007.  That is, the under staff problem will soon turn worse.  According to TIPO, there are a total of 99 patent examiner new hires but they will not be able to complete the necessary training until August 2007.  This serious under staff problem will without doubt stall the examination of patent applications to which time is of essence.  (2006.10)

/EMA