Patent Office Expands Patent Fee Reductions for Special Disaster Areas and More

From this year, the patent fee burden for special disaster areas and technology trust management institutions will be reduced.

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced on the 12th that it will revise and implement the patent fee system with this purpose.

First, individuals and small business owners affected in special disaster areas will receive up to a 90% reduction in patent-related fees. Individuals can reduce their total patent fees by 70-90%, and small business owners by 70-80%. The fees eligible for reduction include application fees, examination request fees, and patent/registration fees.

Those eligible for the reduction must state the reason for the reduction on the application form and submit a “Damage Confirmation Certificate” proving their eligibility. The reduction period is one year from the date the special disaster area is declared.

The usage period for intellectual property points granted to patent customers will be extended from 5 years to 10 years. Intellectual property points (1 point = 1 KRW) are granted to patent customers based on the payment of patent fees. The extension aims to prevent individuals and small business owners from missing out on benefits due to not using their points in time.

In cases where a malfunction occurs in the electronic filing system (ePCT) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) used for international applications, and the emergency filing service of KIPO must be used, the same electronic filing fee reduction (300 Swiss francs) as when using ePCT will be provided. This is also included in the recent patent fee revision.

Additionally, KIPO will exempt transfer registration fees and trust/change registration fees when technology trust management institutions transfer patents. The reduction rate for patent annual registration fees will also be raised from 50% to 70%. This is intended to activate the technology transaction market by reducing the costs of holding and transferring patents for technology trust management institutions.

Lee In-su, Director of the Industrial Property Information Bureau at KIPO, said, “This patent fee revision was focused on reducing the fee burden for individuals and small business owners,” and added, “KIPO will continue to improve the patent fee system to ensure intellectual property rights are effectively protected and utilized.”

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