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.
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 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.
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.
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.
AI as Inventor: DABUS in Korea Compared with the US, EU, and Beyond
Tracking the DABUS case across Korea, the US, EU, UK, Australia, and South Africa — and what the natural-person rule means in practice for AI-assisted inventions in Korea.
PCT International Applications: Procedure, Timeline, and Fees
Walk through the five-stage PCT timeline, 30/31-month national-phase deadlines, international search and preliminary exam, and the official fees from KIPO as a Receiving Office.
Korean Patent vs. Utility Model: Which Fits Your Idea?
Compare the term, inventive-step bar, and filing fees of Korean patents vs. utility models, with practical guidance on which to choose for your invention.
Korea Patent Priority Examination: 2.1-Month Average and Costs
Korean priority examination cuts pendency from 14.7 to 2.1 months on average. A practitioner's guide to grounds, fees, PPH, and the one-month super-fast track.
Korean FTO Reports and Design-Arounds: A Practitioner's Guide
How to run a Freedom-to-Operate analysis before launching in Korea, design around problem patents, and account for the doctrine of equivalents.
Understanding Korean Patent Prosecution: From Filing to Registration
Korean patent prosecution runs through five stages — filing, publication, examination request, substantive review, and registration. A practitioner's guide to deadlines, fees, expedited options, and reductions.
Korean Patent Divisional Applications: Timing, Requirements, Strategy
Article 52 of the Korean Patent Act sets three windows for divisional filings. We cover the timing, the unity requirement, and four practical filing strategies.
App / Platform Patents: Functional vs. Structural Claims
App and platform patents are tricky because algorithms are inherently functional. We compare functional and structural claims under KIPO and US §112(f) means-plus-function rules.
Korean Provisional Patent Filing With a Temporary Specification
How to lock in a Korean filing date with PPT, PDF, or research notes only: the 14-month completion deadline, traps, and how it differs from US provisional applications.