Blog
Insights on patents, trademarks, and design protection
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.
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.
Design Infringement in Korea: Whole-View and Dominant-Feature Tests
Korean courts test design infringement through whole-view observation supplemented by dominant-feature analysis. A practitioner's four-step framework, from product similarity to design-around limits.
Korea's Related Design System: Protecting Design Variations
Korea's related design system protects variations of a base design as separate rights. Filing window, requirements, exclusive-licence limits, and practical strategies.
Korean Partial Design Applications: Protect Only the Key Part
A partial design protects a key portion of an article, not the whole. We map the Korean Design Protection Act drawing rules (solid + broken lines), naming conventions, Hague filings, and KR/US/JP differences.
Korean Screen / GUI Design Applications: A Practical Guide
The 2021 amendment brought screen designs themselves into the scope of Korean design protection. We cover registration formats, animated GUI drawings, Hague filings, and how design rights compare to patent and copyright.