Blog
Insights on patents, trademarks, and design protection
Why prior-art search comes first in a patent application
Prior-art search determines registrability, claim scope, and office-action cost. Here is why it must precede drafting.
Why a prior trademark search comes first
Filing without a prior trademark search risks refusal, invalidation, and infringement claims. Here is why the search must come first.
Choosing a Korean Patent Attorney as a Foreign Applicant
How a foreign applicant without a Korean address or place of business should appoint a Korean patent attorney — POA, e-signature, NDA, and fee structure.
Korean Trademark Distinctiveness: The #1 Reason for Refusal
Lack of distinctiveness under Article 33 of the Korean Trademark Act is the leading refusal ground. Covers the seven categories, naming workarounds, and acquired distinctiveness.
Korean Patent Annuity Fees: Costs, Payment, Discounts, and Recovery
A practitioner's guide to Korean patent annuity fees — fee schedule, normal and grace periods, the 3-year bulk discount, SME and individual reductions, and recovery after lapse.
Korean Copyright Registration: Benefits, Filing, Fees, and Review
Korea's copyright registration provides four practical advantages — author and creation-date presumptions, fault presumption, term extension, and customs filings. A practitioner's guide to the procedure and the 2024 fee reductions.
Trademarks vs Domains: Resolving Disputes Through UDRP and Korea's IDRC
How trademark owners reclaim domains from cybersquatters — the UDRP three-element test, Korea's IDRC procedure, proving bad faith, and post-decision transfer or cancellation.
Korean Patent Invalidation Trials: A Practitioner's Guide
Korean patent invalidation trials succeed in roughly half of all cases. A practitioner's guide to standing, grounds, procedure, and the retroactive effect of a final decision.
Korean Food Recipe Patents: Eligibility and the Trade-Secret Alternative
Recipes are patentable in Korea as food compositions or processes, but the inventive-step bar is the gating issue. We unpack what works, with the Coca-Cola / KFC trade-secret playbook.
Korea Trademark Renewal: 10-Year Term, Filing Window, 6-Month Grace
Korean trademarks must be renewed every 10 years. A practitioner's guide to the one-year filing window, six-month grace period, surcharges, and split payment.
AI / Software / BM Patents in Korea: Eligibility vs. US §101
Korean BM/SW patents require a hardware-coupled claim. We compare KIPO eligibility with the US Alice/Mayo §101 framework and walk through workable claim patterns.
Korean Design: Partial Examination vs Full Examination — Which Track?
Korea runs two examination tracks for designs — partial and full. Compare scope, eligible Locarno classes, time to grant, and post-grant stability to choose the right path.
Trade Secret vs. Patent: Which Path Protects Your Innovation?
Patents trade publication for 20-year exclusivity; trade secrets trade silence for indefinite protection. We compare the two using Korean law and the Coca-Cola example.
PCT National Phase Entry vs Direct Filing in Korea: Key Differences
A patent attorney compares PCT national phase entry and Paris-route direct filing in Korea: 31-month deadline, translation costs, KIPO fee reductions, examination.
Korean Trademark Expedited Examination: Cut Months Off Registration
A standard Korean trademark takes 10-14 months to register; expedited examination delivers a decision in roughly 2 months. Eligibility, fees, and the 2024 rule changes.
Korean Design Right vs. Patent: Looks, Function, or Both?
Korean design rights protect appearance; patents protect function. Compare term, fees, dual-protection options, and GUI/screen-design filings under KIPO practice.