Blog
Insights on patents, trademarks, and design protection
Trade Secrets and Unfair Competition in Korea: Requirements and Claims
Korea's three trade-secret elements, the unfair-competition claim types under article 2(1), and the 2024 amendment that raised punitive damages from three to five times — all in one practitioner's guide.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Patent & Trademark Assignment: Contract, Registration, Tax
A practitioner's checklist for assigning Korean patents and trademarks — contract terms, transfer registration procedure, when the transfer takes effect, and how consideration is taxed.
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.
Korean Cosmetic IP Strategy: Formulation, Delivery, Packaging, MFDS
A cosmetic is rarely protected by one right alone. We map KIPO formulation patents, design registrations, trade dress, and MFDS functional cosmetic review into one strategy.
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.
Korean Medical Device IP: Aligning MFDS Approval with Patents
Medical-device IP is uniquely entangled with regulatory clearance. We map Korean MFDS device grades against KIPO patents, FDA 510(k)/PMA pathways, and a synchronized filing 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.
Responding to a Korean Patent Office Action: Practical Guide
What to do when KIPO issues a Patent-Act Article 63 office action — types of rejection, amendment vs. argument, deadline management, and the final-OA path.