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MOIP held a launching ceremony for an expert advisory committee responding to technology leakage and theft. (News Letter No. 584) |
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KH |
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2026-09-16 |
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1. MOIP held a launching ceremony for an expert advisory committee responding to technology leakage and theft.
According to the Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP), it held the launching ceremony for the expert advisory committee responding to technology leakage and theft, together with the experts in technology leakage and theft investigation.
In investigating technology leakage and theft crimes, initial responses are the most important due to the difficulties in securing evidence. Further, since recent methods have become more sophisticated, it has been steadily pointed out that technical expertise should be combined with investigation and enforcement expertise encompassing the capability to secure evidence, such as investigation and prosecution practice, digital evidence analysis (forensics), etc.
In this regard, MOIP has launched the expert advisory committee responding to technology leakage and theft, which is formed of field experts in various areas, such as criminal law, investigation practice and digital evidence analysis (forensics), etc., such that the expanded and reorganized systems to respond to technology leakage and theft, which was published in June 30, 2026, can be effectively implemented at actual crime scenes.
Through this committee, MOIP plans to find how to make advanced investigation policies for fast and effective investigations of technology leakage and theft and to prepare measures to practically and systematically remedy Korean companies’ damages caused by advanced technology leakage and theft.
In this launch ceremony and first meeting, MOIP’s technology protection policy trends were introduced, technology leakage cases and trends and effective protection measures for intellectual property under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act were presented, and the advisory committee members’ opinions on the need for system improvements, the practical experiences and cases, and specific improvement measures, etc. were shared.
The Ministry of MOIP said, “MOIP’s special judicial police for technology is the only investigation organization specialized in technology leakage and theft in the Republic of Korea…We will do our best to improve all of the technology expertise and investigation capability, so that the special judicial police for technology will be at the forefront of protecting Korean technology.
2. The Presidential Council on Intellectual Property (PCIP) held an on-site communication meeting regarding IP issues related to K-food in K-content.
Acts of free-riding, such as using, without permission, hit menus or virtual brands from K-content, have occurred.
To respond to unauthorized use of creative works, such as virtual business names and foods, etc. in K-content, PCIP under the President held the on-site communication meeting regarding IP issues related to K-food in K-content, presided over by the director general of the Intellectual Property Strategy and Planning Group.
In this meeting, a total of about 30 experts attended from various fields, including PCIP, MOIP, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Institute of Intellectual Property, Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency, Korea Food Industry Association Korea Franchise Association, Korea Creative Content Agency, and Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation. In particular, 4 field experts presented vivid, real-world insights straight from their current practice.
[From food and brands in K-Content to commercial product – by Dongsung JANG, head of legal department at Nongshim]
Dongsung JAN introduced the ‘modisumer (modify+consumer)’ ecosystem, where consumers move beyond the consumption methods unilaterally presented by companies, to create their own new recipes, by citing, as an example, the Chapaguri syndrome, which featured in the movie, “Parasite”, and was translated as ‘Ram-don’ (ramen+udon) in English subtitles. However, he also emphasized that, in the case of food in content that has spread into a global syndrome, the recipes themselves face limitations as they are not legally protected and the rapid registration of intellectual property, such as global trademarks, is the only way to prevent counterfeit goods.
[Convergence of K-content and K-food: brand collaboration and licensing by content production companies – by Sechang KIM, head of legal policy team, SLL Joongang Co., Ltd.]
Sechang KIM introduced that, when a content produce company collaborate with a food company, it proceeds in two directions, production sponsorship and product placement (PPL), where a brand enters the content, and business licensing, where content IP expands outside the market. He also indicated that sponsorships and product placements are the starting point for collaboration between the K-content and K-food industries, however, since the scope of collaboration, including the permissible extent of advertising, is regulated by law, regulatory rationalization is a prerequisite for promoting collaboration between the content and food industries.
[If brands is in content became reality? – Dongseok SHIN, expert advisor of Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency]
Dongseok SHIN introduced the case of the commercialization and rights protection of “Chocobi”, the snack featured in the animation, “Crayon Shin-chan”. Although “Chocobi” has established itself as a successful case of content-based merchandising, surpassing 300 million units in cumulative shipments over the 20 years since its actual commercialization in 2006, the situation of intellectual property infringement overseas is serious by unauthorized trademark squatting and the distribution of counterfeit goods abroad. SHIN emphasized that continuous responses, such as securing rights in advance, joint administrative crackdowns by relevant agencies, and criminal lawsuits, etc., are essential as solutions.
[Improvement measures for mutual growth of K-content and K-food – by Jeonghwa JEON, research fellow of Korea Institute of Intellectual Property]
JEON indicated that, for the co-growth of the content and agri-food industries, response strategies are needed for the following points regarding the food or virtual brand featured in the content: ① who owns the rights, ② risk of unauthorized trademark preemption abroad, ③ risk sharing during the collaboration process, ④ a revenue-sharing method between creators and companies and ⑤ consumer protection measures. As solutions, she also proposed supporting the prior intellectual property rights registration for food featured in content, establishing standard contracts for revenue-sharing during creator-to-company or company-to-company collaborations, and preparing a joint-response system to IP infringement.
Chunmu LEE, director general of the Intellectual Property Strategy and Planning Group, said, “given that K-content and K-food serve as crucial assets that simultaneously embody Korea’s cultural and industrial competitiveness, we will formulate effective policy options by widely gathering opinions from field experts through this meeting.
3. MOIP announced a pilot program for ‘supporting K-brand overseas trademark protection and licensing strategies.’
# Korean franchise company “A” has provided its trademark, etc. to overseas franchisees, including those in China and Southeast Asia, etc. and received 2~3% of their sales as royalty income. Trademarks are becoming well-positioned as one of the major export assets.
MOIP announced a pilot program for supporting K-brand overseas trademark protection and licensing strategies, starting from August 3 (Monday), to support an international revenue generation through the overseas trademark protection and the stable right authorization of Korean small and medium companies and middle-market companies pursuing overseas expansion.
With the recent rise in the global recognition of K-brands, various business opportunities, such as trademark licensing and franchise agreements with local companies, have been expanding. However, small and medium companies and middle market companies have faced limitations in responding independently during the overseas contract process due to a shortage of professional personnel to review various risk factors, such as contract terms with local companies and loyalty calculations, etc.
Therefore, MOIP provides comprehensive contract advisory services (including licensing agreement structures, analysis of legal risks, and meticulous review of key contractual terms, etc.), to ensure that companies can securely protect their trademark rights while utilizing them to generate global revenue, beyond mere global trademark acquisition. The support is targeted at small and medium companies and middle market companies which are pursuing or planning to pursue overseas licensing or franchise agreements, and the government will provide up to 30 million Korea Won per company, covering 70% of the total project cost.
4. MOIP opened a ‘fake K-brand reporting center’ on July 30, 2026.
-If you find a counterfeit K-brand overseas, please take a photo and let the center know.
-Early warnings on the risk of overseas trademark squatting are provided through the K-brand protector.
# While travelling abroad, “A” discovered a store at a local shopping mall using a sign and interior décor similar to a famous Korean beauty brand. So, “A” took pictures of the store’s sign and products and then easily reported it on his mobile phone by accessing the ‘fake K-brand reporting center’. MOIP immediately notified the right holder and supported countermeasure actions, such as sending a warning letter locally.
# Korean food company, “B”, pre-registered its trademark with the ‘K-brand protector’ while preparing to enter Southeast Asia. Then, when a third party filed a similar trademark locally, the K-brand protector service immediately sent a suspected unauthorized preemption alert to “B”. “B” filed an opposition in the relevant country to block the unauthorized preemptive registration of the trademark and filed a local trademark application, thereby being able to establish a stable foundation for overseas expansion.
If you find a fake store imitating a Korean trademark while travelling abroad, what should you do? In the future, you can easily file a report by taking a photo of the store with your phone. Suspicious cases reported by citizens are notified to the respective companies after an expert review, and when necessary, local responses will be linked.
To strengthen responses to so-called ‘fake K-brands’, such as counterfeit products, unauthorized trademark preemption, copying the store’s atmosphere, etc. which have been spreading overseas, MOIP announced the introduction of the ‘fake K-brand reporting center’ and ‘fake K-brand protector’ services on July 30, 2026.
<(1) Fake K-brands discovered by citizens are easily reported with photos.>
The ‘fake K-brand reporting center’ is an online platform that lets citizens easily report suspected fake Korean brand products found on overseas websites, online markets and social media, etc. this center is opened within the ‘K-brand protection portal’, which is run by the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency. By providing reporting-dedicated QR codes, along with convenient image- and location-based reporting functions, etc., Korean citizens can submit real-time reports directly from the scenes.
The received reports will be reviewed for the similarity to Korean trademarks, the likelihood of confusion, and the probability of infringement, etc. and classified by type of infringement, such as business name and sign misappropriation, counterfeit product distribution, and damage to the Hallyu (Korean Wave) identity, etc., and then complied into a database. If a report is deemed valid, the K-trademark owner will be promptly notified and a follow-up response will be supported.
If a local trademark right is held, it will be linked to a trademark infringement response, such as collecting evidence of infringement, and administrative or criminal enforcement, etc. Even if a local right is not held or the ownership relation is unclear, it will be also linked to the K-trademark dispute response strategy support project, to seek response measures in accordance with local laws and systems, such as unfair competition acts, violation of consumer protection laws, etc.
<(2) Early warning of overseas trademark squatting risks is provided through artificial intelligence (AI) and information analysis.>
MOIP also announced providing the K-brand protector service, such that Korean companies can in advance identify the risk of their trademarks being registered overseas, without authorization, by locals. This service is a dispute-preventive K-trademark protection service that provides risk ratings and alerts by country and industry, by comprehensively analyzing overseas trademark application information, unauthorized preemption history, types of repeated applications by applicants and agents, and similarity to Korean trademarks, etc.
Notably, if it is confirmed that a similar trademark is filed overseas after registering your trademark(s) in the ‘unauthorized preemption notification service’, the country of discovery and trademark information will be automatically notified via email immediately. In addition, based on the information regarding applicants, addresses, and agents, the system will analyze the type of applications, such as repeated applications, multi-country applications, and expanded designated goods, etc., to select a pool of potential trademark brokers and provide them to companies in need. Further, if a company enters a trademark name or uploads a photo, a function to check the similarity of its trademark to those in major foreign countries will be provided.
In the future, MOIP will continue to manage unauthorized preemption of overseas trademarks, countries with high incidence of counterfeit products and frequently counterfeited industries, based on the cases received in the reporting center and the analysis results of the protector, and it plans to expand follow-up support, including local legal responses, linking with enforcement authorities, and collaborating with overseas marketplaces, etc. as needed.
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