Priority Examination for Secondary Battery Patents... "Processing Time Reduced by 20 Months"

Priority Examination for Secondary Battery Patent Applications from the 19th
Third After Semiconductors and Displays in Advanced Technologies
Examination Processing Time Reduced from 22.9 Months to 2 Months with Priority Examination

Patent applications in the secondary battery field are now included in the priority examination category. This is expected to shorten the examination period by about 20 months compared to before.

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced that from the 19th, the secondary battery field will be designated and operated as a priority examination target. Among national advanced technologies, this is the third case following semiconductors (November 2022) and displays (November last year).

Secondary batteries have rapidly emerged as a core technology in the eco-friendly mobility industry such as electric vehicles, intensifying the competition to secure patent rights for defending technological competitiveness.

From 2018 to last year, patent applications in the secondary battery field increased by an average of 11.9% annually. This figure exceeds four times the average annual growth rate of patent applications across all fields (2.6%), indicating active research and development (R&D) in the secondary battery sector.

The designation of priority examination targets was made reflecting this situation. As a result, the patent application examination processing period in the secondary battery field is expected to be shortened from 22.9 months (as of 2022) to 2 months.

KIPO expects that the reduction in examination processing time will enable domestic companies to secure rights quickly, serving as a foundation for securing technological leadership and strengthening technology protection amid intensifying global technological hegemony competition.

The priority examination targets include applications directly related to secondary battery materials, parts, equipment, manufacturing, or design technologies, applications from companies producing or preparing to produce secondary battery-related products and devices domestically, applications related to outcomes of national R&D projects on secondary battery technology, and applications from secondary battery specialized universities (graduate schools) under the “National Advanced Strategic Industry Act.”

However, applications that apply secondary battery-related technologies to other fields are excluded from priority examination. For example, vehicles including secondary battery devices are excluded from the priority examination targets.

To apply for priority examination, an application form must be submitted along with an explanation document for the priority examination request. For more detailed information regarding priority examination applications, refer to the announcement posted on the KIPO website.

Shin Sang-gon, Director of the Patent Examination Planning Bureau at KIPO, stated, “In the rapidly changing era of technological hegemony, swift acquisition of rights is the top priority to survive in global competition. KIPO will support the rapid securing of rights for advanced technologies by expanding such institutional support to other national strategic industries like bio, helping domestic companies achieve technological innovation and strengthen industrial competitiveness.”

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