[Public Voices] Trademark Big Data: A Compass for Corporate Navigation

Kim Wanki, Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office. Photo by Korean Intellectual Property Office

‘Hyper Personalization' is emerging as a key topic in artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms. For example, when an AI chatbot user requests, “Recommend a winter coat,” the AI chatbot not only considers simple information such as the design, color, and price of coats suitable for the season but also carefully takes into account the individual's preferences and favored brands to recommend products. In this context, brands serve as an important criterion in the AI algorithm’s product selection process.

Brands are one of the main factors influencing consumers' product choices. Companies with brands that enjoy high consumer trust have their products exposed to more consumers, which directly impacts the company’s market competitiveness. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when consumption was subdued, famous restaurants that gained word-of-mouth popularity continued to see long lines, and products from well-known brands often sold out. Although countless products are sold both online and offline and quality standards have generally improved, the brand value of a trademark remains a powerful means to distinguish a company’s products from those of competitors.

To meet such customer needs, companies designate the products or services before starting new businesses and preemptively file trademarks that best represent them. In other words, trademarks embody a company’s intent for new business ventures, and trends in trademark filings serve as a compass to gauge future business directions.

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) has been analyzing industry trends based on corporate trademark filing big data since 2023, following the same principle. According to the analysis, industries where both the number of applicants and the number of filings have increased are classified as promising industries. Industries where the number of applicants has decreased but the number of filings has increased are considered to be experiencing intensifying competition within the sector. Meanwhile, industries where both indicators have decreased are judged to be entering a decline phase.

For instance, in the beverage manufacturing industry, functional beverages have shown increases in both the number of applicants and filings to date, classifying them as a market with high growth potential. In contrast, carbonated beverages have shown a declining trend in both the number of applicants and filings since 2021, indicating a gradual decrease in consumer preference and corporate interest.

Trademark filing big data also plays a role in analyzing the direction of industries or corporate management by classifying the designated products of applicants. For example, ‘Uber,’ known for its taxi and ridesharing services, filed trademarks in the United States in 2015 designating healthcare, customer transportation, and product delivery services. Three years later, it launched patient hospital transfer services and prescription drug delivery services.

Trademarks also serve as leading economic indicators. According to research by the Korean Association of Public Finance, companies in recession prepare for the upcoming recovery period by proactively filing related trademarks in advance. This allows trademark big data to reveal situations where trademarks have been filed in specific business areas but actual products or services have not yet been launched, providing useful information for companies’ new market entries or collaborative business opportunities. It also leaves room for swift responses by predicting future industry trends.

In this context, KIPO plans to conduct trademark big data analyses on key industries and sectors, including Korean Wave content industries such as webtoons and digital creators, as well as educational services, to help Korean companies preempt future industries. Under this support, it is hoped that trademark big data will be utilized as a valuable tool for corporate innovation and strengthening competitiveness.

Kim Wanki, Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office

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