KIPO Revises Patent Trial Regulations Including Introduction of 'Decision Date Notice System'

A decision date notification system will be introduced, allowing parties involved in patent trials to be informed of the scheduled decision date in advance.

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced on the 2nd that it will implement amendments to the "Trial Procedure Regulations" and related directives containing this provision starting this month.

Previously, the decision date was not indicated on the notice of trial conclusion, which informs that the trial proceedings have ended. As a result, parties had to wait up to 20 days for the decision even after receiving the notice of trial conclusion.

However, with the introduction of the decision date notification system, the scheduled decision date will be included in the notice of trial conclusion, eliminating uncertainty regarding the decision schedule.

Additionally, this system will enhance convenience for parties involved in patent trials by enabling them to plan for potential future disputes, such as whether to file a lawsuit.

KIPO will also revise the directives to improve the expedited and prioritized trial system. The key points include integrating and organizing similar expedited and prioritized trial subjects to increase ease of use, and excluding cases with relatively lower urgency from the expedited and prioritized trial category to prevent excessive extension of the processing period for general trial cases.

Park Jong-joo, President of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, stated, “The Patent Trial and Appeal Board exists to ensure the swift and fair resolution of patent disputes,” and added, “We will continue to actively identify and address necessary system improvements from the public’s perspective through proactive administration.”

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