Cloud Computing-related Patents Held by Taiwanese Nationals Increasing in Number.

The MOEA established the Cloud-computing Industry Promotion Office according to the Executive Yuan's Cloud Computing Industry Promotion Program to promote cloud services.  The Promotion Program was adopted by the 3193rd meeting of 29 April 2010 of the Executive Yuan in light of the impact on the industries and the country as a whole from the dynamic development of cloud computing, which development has triggered the racing of the software and system application services.

In operation, Internet-based cloud computing integrates online network equipments and computing devices to provide users with access to applications and hardware resources via cell phone or tablet PC.

Taiwan IPO says patent is an important dynamic trend indicator of technological R&D.  Taiwan has built up a complete chain of cloud computing industries from manufacture of hardware, applications development, system integration services to service management.  Over the past five years, a total of 2,322 patent applications on cloud related subject matters were filed with Taiwan IPO with 67% of them filed by the industries, 11% by the academic sector, 4% by R&D institutions and 18% by individuals.  The statistics shows the amount of new filings for cloud related patents has increased by fold since 2010.

Taiwan IPO further indicates that over the past five years and in terms of technical fields, about 40% of the cloud related inventions were issued on IT software and device, 18% on e-commerce, and 13% on information transmission.  Hong Hai tops the list of local corporate applicants over the same period by holding over 100 new filings accounting for about 6% of the total number of new filings for cloud related patents by local corporate applicants.  Inventec, Chunghwa Telecom, ACER, Wistron, Quanta Computer and HTD each holds dozens of new applications for could related patents followed by Mitac, ASUSTek and Compal.  ITRI and the Institute for Information Industry both have filed dozens of application for cloud related patents as well.  Local universities as a whole filed some hundreds of patent applications on cloud related subject matters.  This manifests the business, academic and R&D sectors all have dynamic cloud related projects and their R&D success is being demonstrated by the continued increase in new filings for cloud related patents.

Taiwan IPO points out the local suppliers of cloud related hardware mostly lay emphasis on obtaining patents on their server products and terminal devices.  In contrast, magnetic matrix, network communication and optical fiber related patents are much less weighed.  Taiwan IPO opines that local suppliers should consider adjusting their patent landscape by strengthening their less weighed innovations or through international cooperation with leading foreign suppliers holding the relevant technologies. 

With respect to software, local colleges and universities, Hong Hai, Inventec, Chunghwa Telecom, ITRI and the Institute for Information Industry are the major patent applicants for cloud software patents.  Local small- and medium-size enterprises, individuals as well as big foreign corporations mostly seek to patent the cloud applications they created, which field seems to be a soft spot of the majority of the local corporate applicants' R&D efforts.  Cloud computing is characterized by software management system and applications services, e.g. the Gmail service, the Google Drive service and the Google Calendar service.  While the demand for hardware will eventually saturate, software has limitless potential.  Local big players should seek to strengthen their cloud patents porfolio.  (July 2013)
/EMA