1. MOIP and major entertainment agencies launch a ‘publicity rights protection council’.
-A public-private cooperation system is established to respond to unauthorized use of artist portraits and names and infringement of K-goods.
MOIP and 5 major Korean entertainment agencies held a launch ceremony of the ‘publicity rights protection council’.
This council has been prepared to more rapidly and effectively respond to the infringements of personal mark rights (publicity rights) and the K-goods, which have increased with the spread of K-culture.
Publicity rights are the right to commercially use famous peoples’ portraits, signatures, etc. Under the 2022 amendment to the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, an administrative investigation to an act of infringing publicity rights has been possible, and in 2024, a corrective order system was established to provide a practical effective protection system.
However, since the online content infringing publicity rights has broadly spread in a short time and the offline distribution of counterfeit goods has also spread, it has become apparent that there is a limitation for individual agencies or the government alone in responding. Notably, as the infringement using AI has spread, it is urgent to improve the effective response system.
Reflecting these voices from the field, MOIP plans to ►establish a public-private cooperation system, together with major entertainment agencies, ►share the infringement cases of K-goods, ►rapidly confirm the information of infringement and link an administrative investigation and crackdown, ►improve the effectiveness of corrective orders, etc., and ►discover tasks on how to improve the system to respond to AI infringement, etc.
In the launch ceremony, they shared major infringement cases and response issues and discussed which policies and institutional improvement are required to enhance the protection effectiveness.
MOIP will regularly operate the council and continue to check the type of infringement on the spot and the demand for the related policy and system improvements, thereby further strengthening the protection of publicity rights and K-goods.
2. Applications for the ‘IP dispute doctor’ are available for an export company-customized IP dispute risk diagnosis and remedy service.
- MOIP directly visits export companies to help them in preventing IP disputes.
MOIP expands the support target of the ‘visiting IP dispute doctor’, which has been operated to prevent and respond to disputes which may occur during Korean export companies’ overseas IP activities, to individual companies. Applications for ‘IP dispute doctor’ will be received in July.
Previously, the ‘visiting IP dispute doctor’ had conducted education for major export consumer goods and the relevant organizations but it will be expanded to individual companies. Companies currently exporting or preparing to export can apply for this project, regardless of size (even one company is allowed).
When a company applies by selecting its desired field, such as patent, trade secret, trademark, design, etc., and its concern matter, the ‘IP dispute doctor’ consisting of professional lawyers and patent attorneys of MOIP directly visits the company and provides a customized diagnosis and remedy taking the company’s business type, entry country, dispute risk, etc. If needed, it is possible to connect to other support programs, such as to support in providing responsive strategies to a patent dispute and in responding to a K-brand dispute, etc.
A company which want to participate in this project may apply by referring to the notice of information published in MOIP website. The cases of received applications will be flexibly operated by the end of this year, considering regions, business types, desired fields, etc.
3. MOIP held a 2026 public-private cooperative IP strategy support meet-up day.
- Over 200 participants from startups, private investment institutions and intellectual property professional organizations communicated closely over 2 days.
MOIP held a 2026 public-private cooperative IP strategy support meet-up day.
This event was arranged to enhance the networks between the implementing agencies of the public-private cooperative IP strategy support (private investment agencies and IP professional agencies) and the startups and to generate tangible business results, such as follow-up investments, etc. The ‘public-private cooperative IP strategy support’ is a project to provide professional IP advice by matching a professional IP agency, such as a patent firm, etc., with a startup company directly invested by a private investment agency.
Notably, as the number of startups participating in this project has sharply increased from 35 last year to 60 this year, this event was held over 2 days to ensure sufficient communications and substantial networks between companies.
A total of about 200 people including 27 implementing agencies and 60 startup companies which were selected this year, together with specially invited investment companies, such as Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, etc.
The major activities including ►the introduction of implementing agencies and startup companies, ►the connection of the implementing agencies and startup companies, and ►special lectures to strengthen business capabilities were presented in various ways. Notably, when private investment agencies present their investment philosophies and incubation activities, startup companies visited them to conduct 1:1 consultations, thereby maximizing the possibility of follow-up investments through connections.
In addition, to support the innovative growth of startup companies, a lecture on the secrets to attract investment by Mr. Ohsang KWON, partner of Sazze Partners, and a special lecture on essential tax strategies for the initial startup by Ms. Sooyeon LEE, CPA of Gaon Tax Corporation, were presented in succession over 2 days of the event.
4. Korea Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board (IPTAB) conducts a video oral hearing, so parties residing abroad can also participate.
- Korean government utilizes a video conference using Onnara personal computers, expanding the accessibility to trials.
IPTAB of MOIP announced that starting July, 2026, it starts a full-scale internet video oral hearing, to improve patent trial clients’ accessibility to trials.
Breaking away from traditional face-to-face methods, an internet video oral hearing is a new form of an oral hearing to participate without restrictions on places, such as offices, homes, etc., by using the government’s Onnara personal computer video conference system. Even if the parties and their representatives do not directly participate in courtrooms, since they can participate in oral hearings through internet access, it is expected to reduce travel time and costs and to improve the accessibility to trials.
Previously, people should directly attend the IPTAB (located in Daejeon) and MOIP Seoul Office to participate in oral hearings. Therefore, it was not easy for the parties to participate in oral hearings due to the burden of travel and time. However, the introduction of an internet video oral hearing makes it easier to participate in oral hearings. Specifically, the parties residing overseas had difficulties in attending oral hearings due to physical distances and costs, etc., but in the future, they will be able to directly participate in oral hearings and to state their opinions abroad.
In fact, the participants of internet video oral hearings which were operated on a pilot basis in the first half of this year positively evaluated the points that they could participate in hearings, without location restrictions and travel burdens were reduced.
The parties of a trial can select an internet oral hearing when they request to open an oral hearing, or they can request an internet oral hearing by submitting a change application form after a notice of date for oral hearing. However, considering that the location where parties access to the internet can be vulnerable to physical security, a request for an internet oral hearing is possible for a public oral hearing. In the case of a closed oral hearing, it is conducted in a traditional face-to-face hearing or in a remote video hearing which parties are present at the Seoul Office of MOIP.
5. MOIP has started developing a trade secret management system using AI.
On June 19, 2026, MOIP announced that it started the development of a trade secret management system using AI, so that companies can easily and simply manage trade secrets.
The previous trade secret management system was established in 2012 and used by about 1,000 companies. However, the previous system required a process that company personnel should directly determine whether a document qualifies as a trade secret and classified it, and it was continuously indicated that the system had low accessibility due to the difficulties in classification process and inconvenience in using the system.
To solve these problems, MOIP plans to overhaul the outdated exiting system and to use AI to improve the users’ convenience through the entire processes of trade secret management, from trade secret level classification to trade secret leakage prevention, thereby strengthening companies’ trade secret protection capabilities.
Major functions of AI-driven trade secret management system are: ►automatic classification of trade secret document levels, ►management of access rights and detection of abnormal behavior, ►approval of secure document removal and application for identification patterns, and ►integration of original document certification of trade secret, etc.
MOIP plans to complete the system development within this year and to supply it to companies, universities, etc. and it also plans to continue to advance the system by positively gathering user opinions.
6. MOIP held an on-site communication meeting among industry, academia, research and government in the offshore wind sector.
According to MOIP, an on-site communication meeting was held to strengthen the IP competitiveness in the offshore wind sector.
Amid the energy transition has accelerated and the importance of energy security has grown due to the instability in the Middle East, the importance of offshore wind power which is a key axis of renewable energy is also increasing. In this regard, MOIP arranged this meeting to strengthen Korean companies’ and research institutes’ technology and patent competitiveness and IP response capabilities by listening to opinions from the offshore wind industrial field. The stakeholders from the entire offshore wind ecosystem which participated in the meeting were Doosan Enerbility, Unison Co., Ltd., Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP), Jeju National University, and Korea Wind Energy Industry Association (KWEIA), etc.
MOIP presented the patent trends in the offshore wind sector and introduced the IP-R&D to support industry, academia and research to secure strong IP rights. It also broadly listened to the measures to secure patent competitiveness in the offshore wind sector and the relevant industry field’s major issues, difficulties and suggestions. MOIP plans to support Korean companies and research institutes to grow based on IP rights, by reflecting the collected opinions from the field.
The president of the Korea Wind Energy Industry Association said, “In the process that the offshore wind industry has rapidly grown, it has become more important than ever to develop and secure a lagging high-technology and to protect IP rights…we highly appreciate the establishment of a direct dialogue channel welcome between the government and the industry and we hope that the voices from the field will lead to practical polices.”
The director of the Machinery & Metals Examination Bureau of MOIP said, “last year, MOIP achieved meaningful results, such as the introduction of a super-fast examination track to provide a patent examination within one year in the advanced fields, such as AI, etc…Continuing these efforts, we will also strengthen practical support that Korea companies and researchers can truly experience in the offshore wind sector.”
7. MOIP and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) have jointly started a 2026 smart manufacturing strategic technology roadmap.
- Smart manufacturing strategic technology is derived by combining patent big data and industrial demands.
MOIP and MSS announced that they started establishing the 2026 smart manufacturing strategic technology roadmap (2027~2029) to successfully promote the AI-based smart manufacturing 3.0 strategy and to strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium manufacturing companies.
The 2026 smart manufacturing strategic technology roadmap is a roadmap specialized in smart manufacturing, which is promoted by MSS. It is promoted to present future technology directions in the smart manufacturing industry and to derive research and development strategic items centered on small and medium manufacturing companies.
In the roadmap carried forward last year, a total of 49 strategic items were derived in 7 smart manufacturing strategic areas by operating the ►technology innovation type track and ►field demand type track.
According to the last year’s AI-based smart manufacturing 3.0 strategy, the scope of analysis was expanded from the 7 smart manufacturing strategic areas to special classifications (drafts) for the smart manufacturing technology industry, and discovering more systematic and broad future promising technology will be promoted to more than 100 items (in 2026) from 49 items (in 2025).
Notably, this roadmap, which is the first case promoted by the cooperation of MSS and MOIP in the smart manufacturing field, has a significant meaning in establishing an advanced strategic technology system combining the demands from small and medium manufacturing industry fields and the analysis of patent big data.
MOIP will support with expert analysis of global patent trends, technology competition structures, promising technology fields, etc., through the ‘industrial innovation support project based on patent big data’.
Since the outcomes of patent analysis may differ based on the search formulas and analysis methodologies, etc., credibility and expertise are crucial. Therefore, MOIP plans to more objectively analyze the technology competitiveness and future growth potential in the smart manufacturing field, by using its patent analysis capabilities.
Practically, Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs (TIPA) and Korea Intellectual Property Strategy Agency (KISTA) collaborate to carry out this project. TIPA is in charge of the analysis of industry and technology and the derivation of strategic items, and KISTA supports a technology analysis based on patent big data.
The two agencies plan to provide high-quality strategic information to be utilized by smart manufacturing supply and demand companies through this roadmap, and they also plan to use the roadmap in setting establishing future research and development investment directions, commercializing technology and establishing global expansion strategies, etc.
|
