1. KIPO publicly and privately starts cutting off the distribution of counterfeits.
-KIPO is to carry forward a ‘public private partnership program for zero-counterfeits abroad’
-KIPO is to provide a link support in a survey of the actual conditions of counterfeits, an administrative criminal investigation, civil and criminal litigation, etc.
As the number of K-brand counterfeits abroad has increased due to the technology competitiveness improvement of Korean companies and the Hallyu (Korean-wave) spread, Korean companies have taken damages, such as reduction in sales, job loss, brand image damage, etc.
Although continuous responses by a survey of the actual conditions of counterfeits, an administrative criminal investigation, civil and criminal litigation, etc., are important to eradicate the counterfeits abroad, there are limits for victim companies to individually deal with these counterfeits.
To crack down the K-brand counterfeits abroad, KIPO published to recruit, from April 4, 2022, associations by industry to participate in a ‘public private partnership program for zero-counterfeits abroad’.
KIPO provides continuous support, up to 5 years, for the survey of the actual conditions of counterfeits abroad for the victim companies. Through this survey, the victim companies are able to seize the current situations of their online and offline counterfeit distribution and the manufacturers and distributors of the counterfeits and to secure evidence.
In addition, based on the results of the survey of counterfeits, the victim companies due to the counterfeits are able to be provided with customized response strategies by situation, to timely take strong action, such as not only administrative criminal investigation but also civil and criminal litigation, etc.
KIPO’s spokesperson said that since the K-brand counterfeits have adversely affected the national economy, such as a reduction in Korean companies’ sales, domestic manufacturing job loss, etc., KIPO would positively support Korean companies in responding to the counterfeits.
An association or company by industry which wants to participate in the ‘public private partnership program for zero-counterfeits abroad’ may contact KIPO or Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency for any questions and confirm the details of the support program at KIPO webpage (www.kipo.go.kr) and KOIPA webpage (www.koipa.re.kr) from April 4, 2022.
2. You can meet your ‘favorite idol’ at metaverse.
-Entertainment management companies are active in advancing a new business of metaverse, such as 3D stereoscopic picture (hologram), virtual reality game, etc.
Major entertainment management companies have accelerated business diversification using their trademark rights. While the number of trademark applications for character-based cosmetics, tees and shirts, stickers, accessories, etc., due to the progress of the celebrity-related product market (‘fandustry’ which means a fandom-based industry, a compound word of ‘fan’ and ‘industry’), the number of trademark applications for various goods, such as not only entertainment planning businesses, 3D stereoscopic picture (hologram), drones, virtual reality game software, social network service (SNS), etc.
KIPO analyzed the trademark data of entertainment management companies which are the protagonist of the Korean wave. As a result, on April 17, 2022 KIPO published that the number of trademark applications filed by major domestic entertainment management companies in the new business areas, such as metaverse, etc., increased by an annual average of 14% for the last 10 years (2012~2021).
Results of analyzing the trends of trademark applications filed by major Korean entertainment management companies are as follows:
Upon reviewing the trademark application trends in the digital area, as the convergence content combining the advanced technology and K-pop has spread, the number of trademark applications relating to virtual reality software, digital sound source, virtual reality and augmented reality (VR and AR) and drones, etc. increased by an annual average of 3% for the last 10 years (2012~2021) and the number of the trade applications filed for the last 5 years (2017~2021), 934, increased by nearly double, compared to the preceding 5 years (2012~2016), 515.
The number of the trademark applications related to the digital broadcasting and telecommunication business and SNS business greatly increased by an average of 25% from 2012 to 2021. The number of the trade applications filed for the last 5 years (2017~2021), 240, increased by more than 3 times, compared to the preceding 5 years (2012~2016), 65.
This increase is considered as the relevant industry’s business strategies reflecting the expansion of concerts and fan communities through the virtual space, such as metaverse and SNS, etc. In ZEPETO which is a metaverse virtual space, about 46,000,000 fans gathered in the fan signing event of Black Pink.
The number of the trademark applications related to online stores for the last 10 years (2012~2021) increased by an annual average of 48%. The number of the trade applications filed for the last 5 years (2017~2021), 203, increased by about 4 times, compared to the preceding 5 years (2012~2016), 56.
Through this, it is known that major entertainment management companies have actively advanced in the online store industry through Korean (Hallyu) star marketing.
Upon reviewing the number of the applications (2012~2021) by entertainment management companies, the top 10 domestic entertainment management companies in the number of trademark applications have about 95% of the total of the relevant applications. Of 9,216 trademark applications which were filed by all member companies of the Corea Entertainment Management Association (CEMA), 8,701 (94%) were filed by the top 10 companies of the CEMA members.
Through the analysis of trademark data in various areas, starting with the entertainment planning business, KIPO will provide Korean companies with the relevant industrial trends and the information of trademark applications of the world leading companies and it will provide support in finding a promising industry area and establishing a business model.
3. KIPO prepared a place to share information to activate patent information use.
To activate the use of IP data, KIPO held a relay meeting for the users of Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRISPlus).
Since 2012, KIPRISPlus has provided data-related to Korean and overseas patents, trademarks and designs, etc., through Open API (Application Programming Interface), online download, storage medium delivery, etc., so that anyone is able to use the data. Open API is the connection software between users and database so that the users can frequently access to get necessary data.
Antock, which is an AI analysis solution company of financial big data, has found an environment, social and governance (ESG)-based company by merging the diverse patent data provided by KIPRISPlus , companies’ financial data and data reported by media. And provided a number of public and financial agencies with the company analysis data in various areas including business, technology, organization, certification and investment, etc.
To encourage IP-data using start-up, KIPO has operated an ‘IP information-using start-up contest’, ‘free data support’, ‘start-up consultation’, ‘overseas PR support’, etc. for prospective founders and start-up companies.
4. The international design classification will change from 2023.
According to KIPO, as the number of design applications relating to infectious disease prevention articles has increased due to the global epidemic, a lot of quarantine-related articles have been added to the international standard classification, and a guide of the international classification relating to convergence articles, the classification criteria of which had been unclear.
WIPO held a 15th meeting of experts of Locarno international classification, where 33 countries including South Korea, US, China, France attended, to set the international standards of the names and classes of industrial design goods by changing, adding and deleting the names of classification codes of goods and to prepare reasonable standards of the Locarno Classification by reflecting the recent design industrial environments.
The standards prepared in the 15th meeting were finally set by votes of all member countries (60 countries) of the Locarno Agreement. According to the voting results, 190 article names as added, changed or deleted and 58 classes/subclasses as changed are reflected the Locarno Classification.
As a ‘droplet blocking mask’ as previously classified into Class 02 by referring to the Korean classification standards has been newly added in Class 29, the class of a mask with a sanitary purpose, such as a ‘yellow dust mask’ which was classified to Class 02, has been changed to Class 29.
As the name, ‘lipstick tube (package container)’, has been added to Class 09, a lipstick is divided into a package container (Class 09) and a solid makeup powder (Class 28) and the class of a domestic notice name relating to a makeup package container, such as a ‘manicure bottle’, etc., has been changed to Class 09.
In addition, the guide of the international classification regarding convergence articles has been prepared by classifying robots, smart articles, etc. according to their main purposes, to improve the classification unity among the member countries.
The 14th edition of the Locarno Classification reflecting the voting results will be officially enforced on January 1, 2023 and it will apply to design applications filed after the official effective date in a number of the member countries, including South Korea, of the Locarno Agreement. A ‘list of articles by classification of articles’, reflecting the 14th edition of the Locarno Classification, will be available at KIPO’s webpage (www.kipo.go.kr) after January 1, 2023.
5. South Korea took 1st place in the number of patent applications relating to clothing rejuvenators.
LG Electronics taking 1st place, Samsung Electronics 2nd and COWAY 3rd have led the world market of K-new home appliance.
While an interest in hygiene and health has risen due to COVID-19, a clothing rejuvenator market to easily and hygienically take care of clothing that people wear daily has explosively grown, so that the number of the relevant patent applications has increased.
According to KIPO, the number of the relevant patent applications filed with IP5 (South Korea, US, China, Europe and Japan) increased by an annual average of 27% over 9 years (2011~2019) since the first product was released in South Korea in 2011.
In the beginning when LG Electronics released the first clothing care system, it did not get much attention in the market. However, as the news that clothing could be easily taken care at home went viral and fine dust raised a serious social issue, the clothing caring system or clothing rejuvenator has become very popular. Accordingly, domestic and overseas competitor companies have entered the market in earnest.
In the beginning, about 30 patent applications were filed per year. However, 87 applications were filed in 2015 and 225 in 2019 showing a steady increase.
Such a big increase in the number of the relevant applications since 2015 is considered as that the latecomers to enter the market and the leading companies to keep an initiative have actively started securing patents.
Upon reviewing the relevant patent applications filed with KIPO by each of IP5, Korean applicants filed 642 (82%) applications, among the total of 786, showing that South Korea overwhelmingly took 1st place in the world, followed by China with 69 (9%) and Europe with 46 (6%).
Korean companies filed most of the relevant Korean applications in foreign countries, showing that the rate of Korean applications (338) to foreign applications (304) reached 90%.
The trends of the relevant applications filed by the major companies filing multiple applications are by technology as follows:
LG Electronics taking 1st place in the world filed 136 applications relating to internal and external structures of a clothing caring system (detailed structures of the inside and outside of a cabinet), 123 applications relating to a clothing hanger structure (with a moving hanger for dust off by applying vibration to a hanger and a presser to pleat pants), and 101 applications relating to an air steam supplying technology (to control steam and hot air supply), thereby building a strong patent barrier throughout the clothing rejuvenator technology.
LG also recently filed 44 applications relating to an intelligent clothing rejuvenating technology to an optimized clothing caring course by automatically sensing the degree of pollution or the degree of wrinkles of clothing, thereby positively starting securing information and communication (IT) convergence patents.
Samsung Electronics in 2nd place filed the most applications, 41, related to the air steam supply technology to remove dust and wrinkles by supplying a strong wind, instead of the hanger vibration. COWAY in 3rd place filed the most applications, 8, relating to an indoor dehumidification cleaning technology, compared to the other applicants.
Haier, a Chinese company, filed 31 applications relating to a deodorization and aroma sterilization technology using ozone, showing that it has focused on the development of technology different from those of the frontrunners.
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