"Final Career at the Patent Office" The Second Act of a Private Expert in Secondary Batteries

"I have dedicated over 40 years to research in the field of separators for secondary batteries. Now at 64 years old, my final career chapter will be a journey contributing to the development of the domestic secondary battery industry as a patent examiner."

This is the resolve of Mr. A, who was finally selected as a professional term patent examiner. Mr. A began his career as a researcher in Korea, then moved to a U.S. secondary battery manufacturing company, and later returned to Korea to start a venture company. During this process, he also gained experience acquiring numerous patents.

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced the list of 24 individuals who were finally selected as "Professional Term Patent Examiners in the Secondary Battery Field" on the 29th.

Among the successful candidates, the oldest is 64 years old (Mr. A), and the youngest is 31. The average age is 50.5 years, and the average work experience in the secondary battery field among the successful candidates is 21 years and 4 months. The proportion of current employees is also high at 75%. It was found that 79% of them hold master's or doctoral degrees. In other words, expert personnel well-versed in the latest technological trends in the secondary battery field have moved into the role of patent examiners.

In particular, Mr. A is recognized as a veteran technical expert who has honed his skills in the secondary battery separator technology field by moving between prestigious university and public research labs in Korea and leading domestic and international companies. KIPO expects that Mr. A’s rich field experience and knowledge will create a synergy effect in his patent examiner duties and contribute to the development of the domestic secondary battery industry.

The professional examiners who made the final list will be officially appointed on the 24th of next month, undergo new examiner training, and then be assigned to dedicated examination divisions according to detailed technical fields. After assignment, they will also receive close mentoring from senior examiners to cultivate examination capabilities and facilitate early adaptation.

Originally, KIPO planned to select 38 professional examiners in this recruitment. However, after strictly evaluating the level of technical expertise and relevant field experience suitable for the patent examiner position, only 24 were finally selected, fewer than planned.

The remaining 14 positions are planned to be filled through additional recruitment procedures next month. The additional patent examiners to be hired will be national public officials at the grade equivalent to level 5 (Professional Term Level B), who, unlike general public officials, have no mandatory retirement age. Furthermore, private sector experience can be recognized.

The professional term patent examiner recruitment system was introduced to prevent the outflow of excellent domestic talent in advanced technology fields overseas and to support the rapid acquisition and protection of core technology patents.

Previously, KIPO hired 67 patent examiners in the semiconductor field last year. This year, the recruitment scope was expanded to increase patent examination personnel in the secondary battery field as well.

Kim Si-hyung, Acting Commissioner of KIPO, said, "Following last year’s recruitment in the semiconductor field, this year we have also hired professional term patent examiners in the secondary battery field. The recruitment of professional term patent examiners will play an effective role in preventing the outflow of core domestic talent overseas and in the rapid acquisition and protection of cutting-edge technology patents."

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