Patent Office Simplifies Procedures for Microorganism Deposit and Distribution

Comparison chart before and after improvement of the patented microorganism deposit and distribution system. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) is simplifying the procedures for microorganism deposit and distribution.

On the 27th, KIPO announced that as part of regulatory reform, it will significantly simplify the microorganism deposit and distribution procedures required when filing patents related to microorganism inventions.

The simplification of the microorganism deposit process focuses on establishing an information-sharing system between KIPO and four deposit institutions: the Biological Resource Center of the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, the Korean Collection for Type Cultures, the Korean Cell Line Research Foundation, and the Microbial Bank of the Rural Development Administration. This system will enable real-time sharing of deposit information, allowing applicants to file patents related to microorganisms without submitting separate copies of microorganism deposit certificates.

Until now, since deposit information was not shared in real-time between KIPO and deposit institutions, applicants had to deposit the microorganism at the deposit institution, visit the institution in person to obtain a microorganism deposit certificate, and submit a copy of it to KIPO, causing inconvenience. This change aims to eliminate such inconveniences.

The patent microorganism distribution procedure will also be greatly simplified. Previously, when using patented microorganisms for testing or research purposes, applicants had to apply for a distribution qualification certificate from KIPO and submit the issued certificate directly to the deposit institution. Going forward, applicants will be able to apply for distribution immediately at the deposit institution without a separate certificate.

Additionally, the complex application documents previously required when applying for the distribution qualification certificate, such as test/research certificates and patent gazettes, will be simplified. From now on, applicants only need to fill out simple distribution information on the distribution qualification application form, streamlining the procedure, according to KIPO.

The patent microorganism deposit and distribution system allows microorganisms, animal and plant cells, seeds, and other technologies that are difficult to describe only in writing to be deposited as physical samples at designated deposit institutions. Deposited microorganisms can then be distributed to anyone for testing and research purposes.

Lee In-sil, Commissioner of KIPO, said, “With the system improvements (procedure simplification), the patent application and microorganism distribution procedures related to microorganisms will proceed more easily and quickly, which is expected to increase the industrial utilization of patented microorganisms and deposited microorganisms.” He added, “Starting with improvements to the microorganism deposit system, KIPO will focus on actively identifying and removing various regulatory burdens embedded throughout the patent system.”

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