At IPBC Taiwan 2018, Steven Liu, Director of MediaTek’s IP Division, Marcus Woo, Vice President and General Counsel of HTC Corp., and other experts shared cases involving risk management of new patents and elaborated on how to strengthen the risk management abilities of Taiwan’s enterprises. These discussions were aimed at helping local firms seize AI- and IoT-related business opportunities and reduce possible losses associated with the management of IP risks derived from new technologies. Changhae Park, NXP Semiconductors’ Vice President of IP monetization, and Spencer Yu, AU Optronics Corp.’s Director of Intellectual Property, also shared their expertise on how best to use AI technology and big data to identify valuable patents, which will improve the quality of IP and create greater value for enterprises.

Cheng-Wei Liao, Deputy Director General of Taiwan’s Intellectual Property Office (TIPO), stated that ITRI, a world-class R&D institution that Taiwan is proud of, has long been committed to using multi-disciplinary technology R&D to drive industrial upgrading and create economic value. It seeks to maximize the value of innovative technology and cultivate startups to underpin the development of emerging industries. Mr. Liao commented that the fact that ITRI was named a Top 100 Global Innovator in both 2014 and 2017 has proved its capacities in innovation-driven R&D and its international influence on patent portfolios.

He further indicated that a key mission of TIPO is to create a comprehensive protection system in Taiwan. TIPO, he said, is assisting in promoting the National Guidelines for Intellectual Property Strategy. The aim is to enable Taiwan to become a power in the Asia-Pacific in the creation and use of IP by deploying forward-looking IP, maximizing the value of IP, enhancing IP protection, and developing comprehensive IP infrastructures. Mr. Liao also mentioned that Taiwan is actively introducing international patent search resources to realize IP protection mechanisms and ensure that the legal framework here is in sync with that of the international community.

ITRI Executive Vice President Pei-Zen Chang stated that ITRI is a world-leading technology R&D institution aiming to innovate a better future for society. It has also played a vital role in creating valuable IP. Until today, ITRI has accumulated over 28,000 patents, 98% of which are invention patents. It has been active in licensing its technologies to industry and delivering high-quality patent portfolios that involve cross-disciplinary technology innovation.

Peng-Yu Wang, General Director of ITRI’s Technology Transfer and Law Center, commented that Taiwan’s industrial community needs to strengthen its strategic use of patents and IP. While IP can serve as a defense in litigation, it can also be used as a market instrument. Actively using stockpiles of patents enables patents to become important assets of a company.

For example, patents can be used in cross licensing with other firms, in commercial negotiations, as a means to enter the international supply chain, and even as a fiscal tool that yield tax benefits and investment incentives, which consequently foster greater commercial value and a stable source of revenue for companies. This, he said, is in fact how the term “intellectual property” came about.

Mr. Wang stressed that given the trend toward multi-disciplinary technology, top quality patent portfolios have become more important. This is particularly the case in rapidly growing sectors such as AI, IoT, and autonomous vehicles, which rely on a broad spectrum of innovative technologies, including information technology, machineries, materials, and chemicals. Analyses of patent portfolios systematically examine the strengths and weaknesses of each technical field, thereby avoiding the duplication and waste of resources. The patents in these portfolios are thus complementary and help to maximize the strengths of companies, he said.

The core themes of IPBC Taiwan 2018 focused on enhancing the commercial value of IP and corporate IP development strategies, as well as utilizing advanced technology to optimize patent portfolios and managing risks related to emerging technologies and IoT.