TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TSMC led Taiwan in patent applications last year, filing 1,412 patents, according to a Saturday report from the Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

TSMC has ranked first in patent filings for nine consecutive years since 2016, far outpacing both domestic and foreign competitors, per CNA. However, its application volume declined by 28% year-on-year due to portfolio adjustments.

Following TSMC, Nanya Technology filed 466 patents, AU Optronics submitted 425, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) had 356, and Innolux registered 328. Notably, Foxconn filed 259 applications, a 93% year-on-year increase.

Among foreign applicants, US-based Applied Materials reclaimed the top spot with 950 filings, surpassing South Korea’s Samsung, which dropped to second place with 894 applications. Meanwhile, Coupang ranked third with 698 filings. 

Coupang, dubbed the “Amazon of Korea,” has been aggressively expanding into Taiwan’s logistics market. According to TIPO, Coupang’s patent applications surged by 54% year-on-year, the highest growth among the top 10, moving up three ranks from 2023.

Among academic institutions, National Cheng Kung University led with 121 patent applications, followed by National Taiwan University with 98, National Tsing Hua University with 83, and National Chin-Yi University of Technology with 75.