Blog
Insights on patents, trademarks, and design protection
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Choosing Classes and Goods Under NICE for Korean Trademarks
How to pick the right NICE classes and use the 10-goods-per-class baseline to file an effective Korean trademark — including the 13th-edition (2026) changes.
Korea Trademark Registration: Complete Guide for Foreign Applicants
Process, timeline, fees, NICE classes, distinctiveness, and the 2024 coexistence-consent system: a Korean attorney's full guide for foreign trademark filers entering Korea.
Trademarks in Korea, the US, Japan, and China — A Side-by-Side Comparison
A practical, side-by-side comparison of trademark filing, opposition, renewal, and foreign-applicant rules in Korea, the US, Japan, and China.
Korean Trademark Non-use Cancellation: 3-Year Rule Explained
Article 119 of the Korean Trademark Act lets anyone cancel an unused registration after three years. Who can file, what counts as use, and what owners must keep on hand.
Korean Non-traditional Trademarks: Color, Sound, Hologram, Motion, Position
Korean trademark law recognizes non-traditional marks — color, sound, hologram, motion, and position. We map registration requirements, distinctiveness proof, and global comparisons.
Korean Trademark Invalidation and Cancellation Trials Explained
A practitioner's guide to Korean trademark invalidation and cancellation: who can file, on what grounds, the procedure, and how each decision affects existing rights.
OEM Export and Trademark Rights in Korea: Who Is the User?
Who counts as the trademark user in OEM export — applicant or contract manufacturer? Korean and Chinese precedents diverge sharply. We map cancellation, infringement, and contract checks.
Korean 3D Trademarks: Protecting Product Shape Indefinitely
Unlike design rights, a 3D trademark can be protected indefinitely with renewals. We cover Korean Trademark Act Article 33 distinctiveness, acquired distinctiveness, and the Coca-Cola bottle case.
Trademark Infringement vs. Unfair Competition in Korea: Which Claim?
In Korea, a trademark dispute can be brought under the Trademark Act, the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, or both. We map proof burdens, damages, criminal exposure, and stacking strategy.
Protect Your Trademark Worldwide via the Madrid Protocol from Korea
How to leverage a Korean base application to file a Madrid Protocol international trademark across 132 territories — and the five-year dependency risk to plan for.