Filing date
A patent application for invention shall be filed with the Specific Patent Agency by the owner of the right to apply for a patent who is to provide an application form, a description, claim(s), an abstract, and the necessary drawing(s).
The filing date of a patent application for invention shall be the date on which the application form, description, claim(s), and the necessary drawing(s) are provided in full.
Where an applicant does not provide a description, claim(s) and the necessary drawing(s) in Chinese at the time of filing, but in a foreign language, and where the Chinese translation for the said documents is provided within the time period specified by the Specific Patent Agency, the filing date shall be the date on which the foreign language version is originally provided.
Where the Chinese translation is not provided within the specified time period as stated in the preceding paragraph, the patent application shall be dismissed; however, if the Chinese translation is provided before the dismissal decision is served, the date on which the Chinese translation is provided shall be regarded as the filing date, and the foreign language version shall be deemed not to have been provided.

Disclosure
The description shall fully disclose the invention in a manner clear and sufficient for it to be understood and carried out by a person ordinarily skilled in the art.
Claim(s) shall define the claimed invention, and more than one claim may be included therein. Each claim shall be disclosed in a clear and concise manner and be supported by the description.
An abstract shall clearly contain a summary of the disclosed invention; it shall not be taken into account for the purpose of determining the sufficiency of the disclosure and the patentability of the claimed invention.
The manners of disclosure for description, claim(s), abstract, and drawing(s) shall be prescribed in the Enforcement Rules of the Patent Act.

Deposit of biological material
When filing a patent application for invention involving a biological material or utilization of a biological material, the applicant shall, no later than the filing date, make a deposit of the biological material with a domestic depository designated by the Specific Patent Agency. No deposit is required if the biological material involved can be easily obtained by a person ordinarily skilled in the art.
An applicant shall, within four (4) months after the filing date of patent application, submit to the Specific Patent Agency a certificate of deposit, indicating the depository, date of deposit and deposit number. If such document is not submitted within the specified time period, the deposit shall be deemed not to have been made.
Where priority is claimed pursuant to Article 28, the specified time period set forth in the preceding paragraph shall be within sixteen (16) months after the priority date.
In the event that, prior to filing the patent application for invention, the biological material concerned has been deposited in a foreign depository recognized by the Specific Patent Agency, and where the certificate of deposit issued by the designated domestic depository and the foreign depository has been provided within the time period prescribed in Paragraph 2 or the preceding paragraph, the applicant is exempted from the requirement of making a deposit no later than the filing date, as set forth in Paragraph 1.
If an applicant has deposited the biological material in a depository designated by a foreign country in its territory with which the ROC recognizes the effects of deposits based on reciprocity, and if the applicant has submitted the certificate(s) of deposit issued by the said foreign depository within the time period prescribed in Paragraph 2 or Paragraph 3, the applicant is exempted from the requirement of making a deposit in the ROC.
The competent authority shall stipulate regulations on the requirements for accession, types, forms, quantities of deposits of biological materials, deposit fees, and other matters in connection with making deposits set forth in Paragraph 1.

Priority claim under WTO membership, etc.
Where an applicant has first applied for a patent in a foreign country, which reciprocally allows ROC nationals to claim patent priority, or with any member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the applicant may claim priority in respect of an ROC patent application for the same invention if the ROC patent application for the same invention is filed within twelve (12) months after the filing date of the said first patent application.
Where an applicant claims two or more priorities in respect of a patent application, the period referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be on the basis of the earliest priority date.
If a foreign applicant is a citizen of a non-member of the WTO and whose home country does not mutually recognize priority with the ROC, but the applicant has domicile or business establishment in any member of the WTO or in the territory of a reciprocal country, the applicant shall also be entitled to claim priority in accordance with the provisions set forth in Paragraph 1.
For a patent application filed with priority, examination on its patentability shall be based on the priority date.

Claim of priority
An applicant claiming priority in accordance with the preceding article shall simultaneously make a declaration with respect to the following when filing a patent application:
1. the filing date of the first patent application;
2. the country or member of WTO in which the first patent application was filed; and
3. the application number of the first patent application.
Within sixteen (16) months after the earliest priority date, the applicant shall submit a certified copy of the first patent application issued by the foreign patent authority under the preceding paragraph.
In case of a violation of Subparagraph 1 or Subparagraph 2 of Paragraph 1 or the preceding paragraph, the priority claim shall be deemed not to have been made.
Where an applicant unintentionally fails to claim priority claim at the time of filing, or where the priority claim is deemed not to have been made as prescribed in violation of Subparagraph 1 or Subparagraph 2 of Paragraph 1, the applicant may, within sixteen (16) months after the earliest priority date, apply for reinstatement of priority claim, pay the required fees and undertake actions set forth in Paragraph 1.

Priority claim based on earlier application
An applicant filing a subsequent patent application based on an earlier patent application for invention or utility model in the ROC may make a priority claim with respect to the invention or utility model disclosed in the description, claim(s) or drawing(s) submitted for the earlier patent application. This provision shall not apply under any of the following circumstances:
1. where a period of twelve (12) months has elapsed after the filing date of the earlier patent application;
2. where priority has been claimed in accordance with the provisions of Article 28 or this article in respect of the invention or utility model disclosed in the earlier patent application;
3. where the earlier patent application is a divisional patent application prescribed under Paragraph 1 of Article 34 or Paragraph 1 of Article 107, or a converted patent application prescribed under Paragraph 1 of Article 108;
4. where the earlier patent application is a patent application for invention that has been published or has been rejected finally and bindingly;
5. where the earlier patent application is a patent application for utility model that has been published or has been rejected finally and bindingly; or
6. where the earlier patent application has been withdrawn or dismissed.
The earlier patent application referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be deemed to have been withdrawn upon an expiry of fifteen (15) months after its filing date.
Priority claimed shall not be withdrawn upon an expiry of fifteen (15) months after the filing date of the earlier patent application.
In the event that a subsequent patent application filed with priority claim in accordance with Paragraph 1 is withdrawn within fifteen (15) months after the filing date of the earlier patent application, the priority claim thus made shall be deemed to have been withdrawn at the same time.
Where an applicant claims two or more priorities for a patent application, the calculation of priority period shall be on the basis of the earliest priority date.
For a patent application filed with priority, examination on its patentability shall be based on the priority date.
Where a priority claim is made in accordance with Paragraph 1, the filing date and the application number of the earlier patent application shall be declared at the time of filing. If such declaration is not made, priority claim shall be deemed not to have been made.

First-to-file principle
Where two or more patent applications are filed for the same invention, only the earliest application can be granted. The above shall not apply if the priority date claimed for the later-filed application is earlier than the filing date of the earlier application.
If the filing date and the priority date referred to in the preceding paragraph are the same, the applicants shall be notified to reach an agreement with respect to the matter concerned. If such an agreement cannot be reached, none of the applications shall be granted. If the said patent applications are filed by the same applicant, the applicant shall be notified to select one patent application within a specified time period; failure to make a selection within the time period shall result in the rejection of all such patent applications.
While the applicants concerned are in the process of reaching an agreement, the Specific Patent Agency shall require that these applicants report the results of the negotiation within an appropriate time period. If the said report is not provided within the specified time period, it shall be deemed that an agreement has not been reached.
Where a patent application for invention and a patent application for utility model are filed separately in respect of the same creation, the provisions set forth in the preceding three paragraphs shall apply mutatis mutandis, except for the circumstances stipulated in Article 32.

One creation applied for invention patent and utility model patent
An applicant filing a patent application for invention and a patent application for utility model for the same creation on the same date shall make respective declarations in respect of the said applications. If the patent application for utility model has been granted before an approval decision on the patent application for invention is rendered, the Specific Patent Agency shall notify the applicant to make a selection within a specified time period. The patent application for invention shall not be granted if the applicant fails to make such declarations or selection within the specified time period.
Where the applicant selects the patent application for invention according to the provision set forth in the preceding paragraph, the utility model patent right shall become extinguished on the publication date of the invention patent.
The patent application for invention shall not be granted if the utility model patent right has become extinguished or has been revoked finally and bindingly before a decision is rendered on the patent application for invention.

Invention Patent
A patent application for invention shall relate to one invention.
Two or more inventions so linked as to form a single general inventive concept may be filed in one application.

Divisional application of invention patent
A patent application that substantially contains two or more inventions may, upon notice by the Specific Patent Agency or upon request by the applicant, be divided into two or more divisional applications.
A request for division shall be filed within any of the following time periods:
1. before a reexamination decision on the original patent application is rendered; or
2. within three (3) months after the date on which an approval decision for the original patent application or reexamination is served.
The filing date of the divisional patent application shall be the same as the filing date of the original application. Where the priority claim has been made, the applicant may claim priority for the divisional patent application.
The divisional patent application shall not extend beyond the scope of content disclosed in the description, claim(s), or drawing(s) of the original patent application as filed.
For the divisional patent application filed in accordance with Subparagraph 1 of Paragraph 2, the examination thereof shall resume the completed examination procedure of the original patent application.
For the divisional patent application filed in accordance with Subparagraph 2 of Paragraph 2, it shall be based on the invention(s) disclosed in the description or the drawing(s), but shall not be the same as that have been approved in the original patent application; the examination thereof that has been conducted before the original patent application is approved shall be resumed.
The description, claim(s), or drawing(s) of the original patent application that have been approved may not be altered and shall be published based on the claim(s) and drawing(s) as originally approved.

Invalidation action filed by the owner of the right to apply for a patent
Where an invalidation action is filed against a granted patent by the owner of the right to apply for a patent or by the joint owner(s) of the right to apply for a patent within two (2) years after the publication date of the patent concerned in accordance with Subparagraph 3, Paragraph 1 of Article 71, and where the said person or joint owner(s) newly files a patent application for the same invention within two (2) months after the day on which the invalidation decision revoking the patent has become final and binding, the filing date of the revoked patent shall be the filing date for the newly filed patent application.
A patent application newly filed in accordance with the preceding paragraph shall not be published again.