[Full Text] New Year's Address by Kim Yong-rae, Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office

Commissioner Kim Yong-rae of the Korean Intellectual Property Office. Photo by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

Dear respected inventors, patent professionals, and entrepreneurs! The New Year of the Year of the Ox (辛丑年) has dawned. I wish happiness and health to fill everyone's homes.

Despite the difficult circumstances of the 'COVID-19 pandemic,' I would like to express my gratitude for your dedicated efforts in various fields through intellectual property activities.

The changing domestic and international environment surrounding intellectual property demands more roles from the Korean Intellectual Property Office than before. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of the overall economy and industry. New areas of intellectual property such as AI inventions and video designs are expanding, and intellectual property issues are emerging in digital trade norms. In addition, the global technological hegemony competition to secure advanced technologies is intensifying day by day. Digital technologies such as AI, semiconductors, data, and 5G are expected to become the core of competition. Actively responding to these changes to support the preemption and securing of advanced and digital technologies as intellectual property and thoroughly protecting them will be the most important tasks for the Korean Intellectual Property Office this year.

The existing intellectual property system created in the manufacturing environment has limitations in protecting new digital technologies. We will proactively reform the intellectual property system and administration to fit the digital economy. We will explore ways to protect new digital technologies, including issues such as the utilization and protection of data, which is a core asset in the digital era, and the granting of rights for inventions and creations by AI. We will improve the examination system so that new technologies, which have great preemption effects and rapid changes, can be registered as rights early and utilized throughout the industry, and we will also advance the AI-based examination support system. Furthermore, we will lead discussions on intellectual property trade norms to respond to changes in the global digital trade environment.

Intellectual property data, including patent data, which is a refined treasure trove of recent technological information, has infinite utilization value. To support the digital transformation and intelligence of industries, we will promote the use of intellectual property data across industries. By expanding the opening of patent data and building and providing analysis platforms, we will enable companies to easily access and utilize intellectual property data for their business. In particular, we will focus on innovating national R&D and supporting technology acquisition strategies using patent data.

We will actively support the start-up and growth of innovative companies, the main actors of the digital economy. We will continuously promote various support policies for existing start-ups and small and medium enterprises so that innovative ideas can lead to strong intellectual property and help companies grow. We will continuously expand the intellectual property finance market so that excellent intellectual property can be used to raise funds and expand the intellectual property transaction infrastructure. We will also strive to nurture intellectual property professionals needed by digital innovative companies and cultivate inventive talents who will become future innovative entrepreneurs.

We will strengthen intellectual property protection as a safety net supporting the innovative growth of the digital economy. In particular, we must prepare for the diversification and sophistication of infringement types in the digital environment. We will comprehensively reform intellectual property laws so that the damage caused by infringement is greater than the benefits gained, by strengthening penalties for trade secret infringement, expanding the scope of idea theft acts, and introducing a Korean-style evidence collection system. To eradicate increasingly sophisticated intellectual property infringement crimes, we will strengthen investigative capabilities by reinforcing dedicated investigation and inspection organizations and expanding equipment. To ensure that our companies' intellectual property rights are protected in overseas markets, we will expand monitoring of infringements occurring locally and provide one-stop support from diagnosing potential patent disputes to responding to infringement lawsuits so that our companies can effectively respond to patent attacks from foreign companies.

If the above strategies and core tasks are carried out without fail, we will establish a virtuous cycle structure of intellectual property suitable for the digital economy era. As the British proverb says, "A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor," we have faced waves of change and grown step by step. I believe that intellectual property holds the power to turn the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19 that our country faces into an opportunity for a 'leading-type economic transformation.' I am confident that respected inventors, patent professionals, and entrepreneurs will successfully support the rapid economic recovery and transformation into a leading economy through intellectual property. 2021 is the Year of the Ox. As the saying "Ubochunri" goes, if we move forward slowly and diligently like an ox, we will be able to reach even distant places together. I wish all of you success in the New Year. Thank you.

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