1. It becomes easy to file an application online
- Making an application in Word and converting a file to be submitted by Internet.
A patent is easily filed by Internet, without using software for a patent application (including utility model and design applications) online.
The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced to provide a web-based service (dtox.patent.go.kr) to automatically convert a patent document drafted in commonly used words to an application filing standard format (XML) from July 1, 2018. This web service is expected to make it easy for an applicant to easily file an application and to greatly reduce the time required for filing an application online.
The most patent applications (98.7%, 202,057 applications in 2017) were filed online. Previously, to file an application online, the ‘application filing software’ provided by KIPO needed to be installed to format the application properly in order to be electronically filed. However, an inexperienced applicant would undergo many difficulties since a considerable time was taken to install the software and to learn how to use the software.
The new XML conversion web service is easy since an application document saved in the HWP (.hwp) or MS-word format (.docx) can be used to be filed online.
2. A service of electronically exchanging a design priority document between Korea and China starts
When a Korean applicant files a design application in China, the applicant does not need to directly submit a certified copy of a priority document to the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of the People’s Republic of China.
KIPO finished building a system to electronically exchange a certified copy of a design priority document with SIPO and started full operation of the system on July 20, 2018.
KIPO started a discussion about electronically exchanging a certified copy of a design priority document in the meeting of the ‘five (5) advanced intellectual property offices in the design field’ in 2015. KIPO and SIPO agreed to perform the electronic exchange of a certified copy of a design priority document between the two in the meeting of the ‘commissioners of KIPO and SIPO’ in 2017.
3. A patent valuation service market is entrusted to a private company
- KIPO opens public data and valuation systems, to positively support the service development and overseas expansion of a private company.
According to KIPO, the public data and patent analysis and valuation system (SMART3) held by KIPO are open to positively support an intellectual property (IP) service company to develop various additional services and to enter the global market.
Therefore, an IP service company can develop and launch various additional services in the Korea and foreign markets, based on the patent valuation of SMART3 as public goods and directly sell the service of SMART3 abroad.
SMART3 is an online system (smart.kipa.org) to provide, in real time, the level of quality of Korean, US and European patents. SMART3 provided about 260 companies and agencies with about 730,000 patent valuations from 2010 to June this year. SMART3 has been used in a diversity of fields, such as patent management and selection, IP transaction and finance, research and development result valuation, etc.
4. The number of international applications for the biometrics-related technology has rapidly increased
According to KIPO, the number of publications of PCT international applications for the biometrics-related technology, which were filed during the last five (5) years, greatly increased from 180 in 2013 to 421 in 2017, showing an annual average increase of 23.7%.
By companies, Samsung filed the most applications (44), followed by Intel (39), Qualcomm (38), MS (27), Hitachi (26), Fujitsu (23), Apple (22), MasterCard (22), Morpho (18) and LG (15).
By biometrics information, the finger print was in 394 applications (28.4%), followed by the iris in 315 (22.7%), face in 255 (18.3%), vein in 144 (10.4%) and voice in 116 (8.4%).
By areas to use the biometrics-related technology, the mobile and wearable fields were in 318 (22.9%), followed by the health care field in 244 (17.6%), the payment field in 192 (13.8%) and the access control field in 162 (11.7%). In addition, the biometrics-related technology was positively used in the industrial field based on Internet of Things (IoT), such as a smart home, smart car, etc.
|
