Patent Office Strengthens Intellectual Property Protection for Korean Companies Expanding into New Southern Markets

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) is strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights for Korean companies expanding into New Southern countries.

On the 8th, KIPO announced that it will promote support measures to protect intellectual property rights for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies that have entered Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, and Brunei, in cooperation with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

To support companies entering the New Southern market, KIPO will first allow these companies to use a free similar trademark search service for each target country.

This is expected to serve as a basis for companies to determine whether the trademarks they use domestically can also be used in overseas markets by informing them of the necessity to secure local trademarks and enabling preemptive measures against potential disputes.

Additionally, if there are no similar trademarks locally and companies can use their trademarks as is, KIPO’s strategy is to support companies to quickly file applications through IP-DESKs located in each country.

Conversely, if potentially conflicting local registered trademarks are found, companies can prevent disputes by filing for trademark changes or respond by linking and utilizing KIPO’s dispute response support.

This service will initially be provided to companies entering 11 New Southern countries, and KIPO plans to expand and supplement the target based on the demands and opinions of participating companies in the future.

KIPO will also produce 3D video (content) showing how to distinguish genuine products from counterfeit goods distributed overseas by domestic companies. This content will be distributed to intellectual property-related organizations in China and New Southern regions that actually crack down on counterfeit goods of Korean companies.

Through this, KIPO expects to fill the gap in intellectual property protection for domestic companies in a situation where group events such as training for intellectual property enforcement officers and counterfeit identification seminars are difficult due to the recent spread of the novel coronavirus infection.

Separately, last month KIPO established the 16th IP-DESK at the KOTRA trade office in Manila, Philippines, providing services such as consultations with local intellectual property experts, support for securing rights, and dispute response cost assistance.

Seo Chang-dae, Director of the Industrial Property Protection Support Division at KIPO, said, “To respond to chronic intellectual property infringement issues such as unauthorized trademark squatting and counterfeit distribution, rapid rights acquisition and continuous management efforts by companies are essential,” adding, “Since IP-DESKs are working on the front lines to protect the intellectual property rights of companies expanding overseas, we hope domestic companies actively utilize government support.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.