1. KIPO enforced the reduction of the official fees to retain IP applications in special disaster area
-KIPO reduces the official fees for filing an application, a request for examination, registration, etc. for applicants which are residents in the special disaster areas
KIPO announced the reduction of official fees for one (1) year for the residents in Daegu, Gyungbook (Gyungsan-shi, Chungdo-gu and Bonhwa-gu) declared as special disaster areas where they suffered a lot due to CORBID 19.
KIPO reduces by 30% of the official fees of filing an application, etc. to be paid by an individual or corporation and by 70% of the fees for international searches (in Korean) to be paid by a small or medium company which has filed a PCT international application, all of which having addresses in the above-mentioned areas as of the date of declaring the special disaster areas (March 15, 2020).
Even though the number of Korean applications filed during the first quarter of this year has increased, the number of Korean applications filed in the special disaster areas has gradually decreased. In this regard, a survey of patent attorneys was conducted on March 2020. As a result, governmental support, such as reduction of official fees, was needed for the areas declared as the special disaster areas affected by CORBID-19. Therefore, this measure was taken to positively support the IP creation and utilization by relieving the economic burdens of the applicants from Daegu and Gyungbook areas declared as the special disaster areas.
2. A K-test kit regarding CORBID-19 is first registered as a patent
-An application for the CORBID-19 diagnosing technology is rapidly allowed as a patent.
According to KIPO, the CORBID-19 diagnosing technology in an application filed by the Armed Forces Medical Command in February 2020 has been patented as the first CORBID-19 diagnosing technology on April 20, 2020.
A preferential examination of this CORBID-19 diagnosing technology was filed. Accordingly, three (3) examiners promptly conducted the examination of this invention early when the application was filed and as a result, this technology was decided to be patented within about two (2) months from the time of filing the application.
This patented technology is the first patent in relation to CORBID-19 while the worldwide demands for Korean test kits have increased due to the CORBID-19 pandemic.
Due to the strong spread of CORBID-19, a fast diagnosis on whether a person is infected is important. The patented CORBID-19 diagnosing technology uses a reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), thereby shortening the diagnosing time to one (1) hour and using less sample.
At present, about twenty (20) applications have been filed with KIPO for different CORBID-19 diagnosing technologies to shorten the test time and to improve accuracy, two (2) of which having been in the process of preferential examination.
In this regard, KIPO plans to support the CORBID-19 diagnosing technology to be rapidly granted, through a consensus consultation examination formed of three (3) examiners specialized in the relevant field for prompt and accurate examination.
3. KIPO expands cooperation to early overcome CORBID-19
-KIPO and the affiliated public organizations discussed about supporting the companies suffering by CORBID-19 and dealing with a post-CORBID-19 era.
KIPO held a meeting to overcome CORBID-19 with six (6) affiliated public organizations including the Korea Invention Promotion Association, Korea Institute of Patent Information, Korea Institute of Intellectual Property, Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency, Korea Intellectual Property Strategy Agency and Patent Information Promotion Center.
This meeting was held to share each organization’s support status for the companies suffering by the aftermath of CORBID-19 and to prepare a plan to support the companies to early overcome the crisis based on the IP-based competitiveness.
In addition, in this meeting, each organization’s current state was shared as to early budget execution, donation support for the disaster areas, and expansion of an employee’s working at home, etc.
The ‘patent information navigation’ has been opened to provide information of about 3,500 Korean and foreign patents in relation to treatment, diagnosis (test) and prevention. The patent information navigation is a service provided at https:www.kipo.go.kr/ncov, which publishes a result of searching Korean and foreign patent trends by major fields, such as CORBID-19-related medicines, vaccines, diagnosis, tests, protection and prevention, and which organizes the patent information regarding the latest technologies becoming issues at the fields, to be easily understood.
4. The Korean walkthrough technology prevents the worldwide spreading of CORBID-19
-KIPO discussed about making the brand of ‘K-walkthrough’ and supporting the overseas market thereof
In the Daejeon government complex, KIPO had a meeting with the inventors who have developed the Korean-type walkthrough equipment which is spotlighted as a rapid and safe method of diagnosing CORBID-19.
This meeting was arranged to share the results that meantime KIPO proceeded the protection of IP rights and the support of overseas marketing with the inventors of the walkthrough equipment individually and to discuss about future plans.
Since the walkthrough technology was shown in the fields to deal with CORBID-19, KIPO and the related ministries have prepared the plans to rapidly file the walkthrough technology-related applications in Korea and foreign countries, to build a mass production system and to support overseas marketing.
KIPO supported the relevant Korean patent applications in order for the Korean-type walkthrough technology to be properly protected. Accordingly, the Korean patent applications of all walkthrough technology have been finished and the consulting to secure rights through foreign applications has been supported.
In addition, since the inventors requested for being connected to the companies capable of producing the walkthrough equipment, a quality certification for exportation and support for export in foreign countries, KIPO, cooperating with the relevant ministries including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, will support companies which can produce the equipment, ‘brand K’ certification and funds for commercialization.
In the meeting, the inventors expressed thanks to KIPO for its support and shared the recognition that KIPO’s continuous additional cooperation is needed for the improvement and development of the walkthrough technology and for the overseas marketing thereof.
The inventors also sympathized with the point that, even if their inventions are patented, their walkthrough equipment needs to be widely used for the public benefits, such as the support of the relevant technology in developing countries, rather than the monopoly of the relevant technology under the worldwide pandemic situation. Accordingly, KIPO and the inventors have signed a business agreement to cooperate together in the public utilization, improvement and development of the IP rights related to the walkthrough technology.
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