KIPO Strengthens 'Intellectual Property' Cooperation... "Expanding Administrative Service Exports to the Middle East"

Dispatch of 5 Patent Examiners to UAE
Total of 14 Examiners Dispatched So Far
KIPO Expands Cooperation with Middle East Countries
Under-the-Table Talks with Qatar and Bahrain Underway
Expanding Export of Patent Administrative Services to the Middle East

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) plans to strengthen cooperation in the intellectual property sector with the Middle East region and expand the export of Korean-style intellectual property administrative services.

KIPO announced on the 31st that five examiners have been dispatched to the Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (hereinafter UAE) to begin conducting patent examination work related to patent applications filed locally in the UAE.

Kim Si-hyung, Acting Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (fourth from the left), is taking a commemorative photo with five patent examiners dispatched to the UAE Ministry of Economy. Photo by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

So far, KIPO has built close cooperative relationships with Middle Eastern countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the field of intellectual property and has been promoting collaborative projects.

For example, KIPO signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding (MOU) on intellectual property with the UAE in 2010, followed by an MOU on patent examination cooperation in 2014. Through these agreements, KIPO has dispatched a total of 14 examiners to the UAE to carry out patent examination work.

In particular, in 2018, KIPO successfully completed a cooperation project to establish a Korean-style patent information system in the UAE.

This month's dispatch of examiners was based on the memorandum of understanding for deepened cooperation in the intellectual property field between Korea and the UAE, signed during the current government’s state visit to the UAE in January last year. The dispatched examiners are experts in fields such as mechanical engineering, organic polymers, chemical engineering, and information and communications, and they will also be entrusted with the education and training of newly hired examiners in the UAE this year.

Separately from strengthening cooperation with the UAE, KIPO is also focusing on building cooperative relationships with other Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar and Bahrain.

Currently, discussions are underway with Qatar to promote a cooperation project related to the establishment of a national intellectual property strategy, and KIPO explained that an MOU on patent examination cooperation is expected to be signed with Bahrain.

Ultimately, KIPO aims to expand the export of Korean-style intellectual property administrative services through building cooperative relationships and promoting related projects with Middle Eastern countries.

Kim Si-hyung, Acting Commissioner of KIPO, said, “The dispatch of patent examiners is a diplomatic achievement with the Middle East based on the close cooperative relationship between Korea and the UAE,” and added, “KIPO will strive to lead Korea’s ‘second Middle East export boom’ in the intellectual property field.”

He also stated, “To this end, KIPO will expand cooperation not only with the UAE but also with other Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar and Bahrain to ensure that the Korean-style advanced intellectual property administrative system is disseminated and takes root locally,” and added, “We will build a ‘Korean Wave belt of intellectual property’ in the Middle East region to create a favorable intellectual property environment for Korean companies.”

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