Blog
Insights on patents, trademarks, and design protection
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Using iphere AI Trademark Search: KIPRIS Queries and Similarity Analysis
iphere's AI trademark search combines automatic KIPRIS query generation tuned with attorney know-how and per-mark phonetic and conceptual similarity analysis. A practitioner's walkthrough with result interpretation.
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.
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 IP Updates for 2026: Nice 13, Design Easing, Faster Exam
Practical Korean IP changes for 2026 — Nice classification 13th edition, easier partial-design filings, faster patent examination targeting 14 months, and the new direct-transfer route for rightful design owners.
Korea's Employee-Invention System: Rights, Assignment, Compensation
Korean employee-invention rules — who owns the right, how the employer can succeed to it, what counts as fair compensation, and the 2024 statutory amendments plus the Supreme Court ruling practitioners need to know.
Foreign-Agent Deferred Invoicing on iphere: Tiers, NET, Engagement Letter
iphere offers deferred invoicing for foreign IP agents — NET 30 unlocks via domain match, NET 60 via engagement-letter review. Step-by-step setup for foreign associates working with us.
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.
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.