After a Korean patent, utility model or design is registered, an annual statutory fee must be paid to KIPO to keep the right alive. Failure to pay terminates the right, and restoration is highly limited — so proactive tracking is critical.
Deadlines, reductions, bulk payment, late filing — eight questions our attorneys answer most often about Korean annuity management.
After a Korean patent, utility model or design is registered, an annual statutory fee must be paid to KIPO to keep the right alive. Failure to pay terminates the right, and restoration is highly limited — so proactive tracking is critical.
Korean patents (registration prefix 10-), utility models (20-) and designs (30-) all require annuities. Trademarks instead use 10-year renewals — see Maintenance › Trademark Renewal for that flow.
Yes. Enter the registration number and rights type, and iphere pulls (1) the title, (2) registration date and current year, (3) next due date, and (4) the estimated fee from KIPO. Claim count is auto-applied so the amount is precise.
Yes. Use the Excel template for bulk registration, then check the cases you want to pay and settle them in one transaction. Claim updates and reduction eligibility apply uniformly — ideal for portfolios with many active rights.
Email reminders are sent 3 months, 2 weeks, and 1 week before the deadline. Once the deadline passes, daily reminders run until the 6-month grace period ends. A red banner is also shown on the dashboard.
KIPO's statutory rates increase year over year and scale with claim count. Years 1–3 are relatively low; from year 4 the curve rises sharply. The exact figure is shown the moment your registration is looked up.
Yes. Individuals, SMEs, schools and public research institutions can receive reductions of up to 70%. Select the reduction category during registration and attach the supporting document — the discounted total appears on the checkout page.
A 6-month grace period applies after the original deadline; payment within that window keeps the right alive but a surcharge (typically double the regular fee) is added. After 6 months the right lapses; restoration is only possible with a justifiable reason.