Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KIPO Join Forces to Strengthen IP Capabilities of Industrial Complex SMEs

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korean Intellectual Property Office have joined forces to strengthen the intellectual property capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within industrial complexes and support their entry into overseas markets.

On the 29th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that it will establish a close cooperative system by matching one-to-one the 27 Regional Intellectual Property Centers (RIPCs) operated by the Korean Intellectual Property Office with the 11 regional headquarters of the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation. The Regional Intellectual Property Centers serve as comprehensive support hubs for intellectual property creation, protection, and utilization in collaboration with local governments.

This cooperation was promoted to resolve various difficulties faced by SMEs in industrial complexes, such as market entry failures, global intellectual property disputes, and insufficient post-research and development, caused by a lack of intellectual property-related personnel, funding, and information.

The Korea Industrial Complex Corporation plans to provide on-site, tailored intellectual property services to the 88 mini-cluster member companies nationwide, including securing domestic and international intellectual property rights, intellectual property education, consulting on difficulties, and support for planning technology development linked to commercialization.

First, by the 14th of next month, a demand survey for intellectual property support will be conducted targeting the 88 mini-clusters nationwide. The Regional Intellectual Property Centers will dispatch experts to industrial complexes and companies to conduct education, seminars, consulting, and support the establishment of technology development strategies.

For companies urgently needing to secure domestic and international patent rights, the Regional Intellectual Property Centers will support prior art searches and recommend excellent patent firms, while the regional headquarters of the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation will provide partial support for application costs.

By linking with the Korean Intellectual Property Office’s corporate support programs, follow-up support will be provided for ▲ establishing patent and design creation strategies ▲ design and brand development ▲ diagnosis and establishment of corporate intellectual property management.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korean Intellectual Property Office stated, "Based on the intellectual property and core competencies of both institutions, we will continue cooperation to strengthen the innovation capabilities of manufacturing in industrial complexes and create new growth opportunities for resident companies."

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