Disputes over Industrial Property Rights such as Patents and Trademarks, Mediation 'Preferred' over Litigation

(From left) Seong Ji-yong, Chief Judge of Seoul Central District Court, Lee In-sil, Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and Kim Yong-seon, President of the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a business agreement on the "Development and Revitalization of the Mediation System" on the 14th. Photo by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] From next year, disputes related to industrial property rights such as patents and trademarks, as well as trade secrets and unfair competition acts filed with the Seoul Central District Court will be handled and mediated by the Patent Office's 'Industrial Property Rights Dispute Mediation Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Mediation Committee)'.

On the 14th, the Patent Office announced that it signed a business agreement with the Seoul Central District Court and the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency regarding this matter.

According to the agreement, the Seoul Central District Court will be able to coordinate cases filed with the court that require expertise in the intellectual property field and are suitable for resolution through mediation in connection with the Mediation Committee.

The Mediation Committee will form mediation panels composed of experts in various intellectual property fields to conduct the mediation process.

Through this process, if mediation is successfully concluded, the parties involved in the litigation can save the costs and time that would otherwise be required for proceeding with the lawsuit.

Lee In-sil, Commissioner of the Patent Office, said, “The Seoul Central District Court handles the largest number of intellectual property cases among district courts nationwide,” and added, “We expect this business agreement to serve as a starting point for resolving more intellectual property disputes quickly through mediation.”

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