Public Institutes Plan To Promote Patent Transfer.

The government plans to manage a virtual patent market providing information on patents owned by public institutions, such as Korea Electronics Technology Institute, and enabling to check intentions of transactions so that patent technologies owned by public research institutes can be easily transferred to private companies.

Also, it plans to examine a method to provide tax exemptions for companies which avert filing international patent applications because of the costly charge reaching 5 million one per case.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE), the government ministry has decided to prepare these countermeasures in relation to the recent patent disputes between Korean and Japanese companies.

The government plans to synthetically identify "sleeping technologies" of public research institutes and university laboratories that have not been commercialized and then to build a database of such technologies so that private companies can selectively purchase the technologies.

24 Hrs Non-stop E-Application Service.

From next year, a new era of 24-hour nonstop electronic application services will be opened.
According to the KIPO, the electronic application services, which are currently provided only during working hours of week days, will be extended first to night time services from early next Februrary, and then to weekend services from next November.

KIPOnet Becoming a Global Patent System.

In  cooperation  with  WIPO,  KIPO  is  developing  software  to  manage  electronic international PCT  applications  for  utilization  by  patent  offices  of  world  member  countries  of  the  PCT.  

Called  'PCT-ROAD'  (PCT  Receiving  Office  Administration),  this  software  will enable reception  and  processing  of  PCT  applications  when  applicants  file  them  in  electronic form.  KIPO  expects  to  supply  it  to  all  the world  patent  offices  in  the  first  half  of  2005.

KIPO  Commissioner  Kim  Jong-Gap  hoped  world  patent  offices  also  would  be  able  to improve  their  services  by  utilizing  the  PCT-ROAD,  stressing,  "PCT-ROAD  has  enhanced Korea's  patent  administration  efficiency  significantly."   

WIPO's  Deputy  Secretary  General  Francis  Gurry  said,  "Thanks  to  PCT-ROAD, all applicants  over  the  whole  world  will  be  able  to  file  PCT  applications  electronically  and receive  time  and  economic  benefits  evenly."  He  added  that  the  software  would  be  a starting  point  to  automate  PCT-related  documents  at  all  global  patent  offices,  including WIPO,  due  to  stimulation  of  electronic  applications  through  utilization  of  the  software.  

To  invigorate  electronic  applications,  WIPO  developed  and  provided  'PCT-SAFE'  software  to  all  global  applicants  free  of  charge  in  February  this  year,  while  also  giving  a  fee-reduction  benefit  up  to  300  Swiss  Francs  (about  280,000  won)  for  electronic  filing  of  applications.  Although  patent  applicants  around  the  world  can  prepare  PCT  applications  electronically,  they  do  not  enjoy  all  of  the  possible  convenience  and  economic  benefits  due  to  the  lack  of  a  document  receipt  and  processing  system  at  the  PCT  receiving  office.  

As  KIPO  is  already  utilizing  the  software  developed  earlier  by  the  office  for  electronic  document  receipt  and  processing,  it  decided  to  develop  the  PCT-ROAD  jointly  at  the  request  of  WIPO.  When  development  is  completed,  all  the  world  patent  offices  will  be  able  to  download  the  software  from  the  homepages  of  WIPO  and  KIPO  free  of  charge.

PCT-ROAD  software  can  process  electronic  patent  applications  formatted  on  physical  media  like  CD-R,  DVD  and  floppy  disk.  Document  format  processing  is  also  possible.

The  features  of  PCT-ROAD  also  include  judgment  of  the  suitability  of  international  applications  according  to  PCT's  legal  and  technical  requirements,  issue  of  application  receipt  number  and  certificates  of  receipt  and  the  integration  into  a  PC  workstation  database  of  electronic  applications  prepared  in  physical  media  formats  like  CD-R.   

IP Application Intro.

We work with Techvil Patent & Law Firm (www.techvil.co.kr) which is one of the leading Korean intellectual property firms for IP application matters. Techvil was found by patent and trademark attorneys who were primary examiners in Korean Intellectual Property Office. We remain abreast of the rapidly changing legal environments through the close contact with government agencies, currently available information services, and foreign associates. We are always ready to provide our clients with high quality professional services.