Application and registration statistics
According to the statistical trends in intellectual property statistics published by the KIPO on August 8, 2021, the cumulative number of applications for patents, utility models, designs, and trademarks from January to July 2024 was 50,578, which was a 2.0 % increase compared to the same period of the previous year.
Examining the types of applications among intellectual property rights, the number of patent applications was 128,000, which was a 1.4% increase compared to the same period of the previous year, the number of design applications was 31,661, which was a 3.4% increase, the number of trademark applications was 151,011, which was a 2.4% increase, and the number of utility model applications was 33,375, which was a 10.6 decrease.
Unlike 2023 that was the only year when intellectual property rights showed an increase compared to the same period of the previous year, in 2024, from January to July, applications for all industrial property rights except for utility models showed an increasing trend.
In contrast, the number of registered industrial property rights decreased by 9.7% compared to the same period of the previous year. While the number of registrations for all of patents, designs, and trademarks showed a decrease of about 9.8%, utility models were confirmed to have decreased as much as 22.9%. The decreased number of applications for the last several years is assumed to reflect examination results as the main cause, and unlike the other industrial property rights which have all shown an increasing trend, utility models are expected to continue to show a decrease in the future.
The number of requests for examination of patents and utility models was recorded to have decreased by 1.0% compared to the same period of the previous year, but in July 2024, 16,591 was confirmed, which was a 5.3% increase compared to the same month of the previous year.
Request for examination
The number of requests for examination was 4,204, which was a 6.9% decrease compared to the same period of the previous year. While these are figures only as of July, if this trend continues, about 6,900 cases are expected to be received this year, which is less than 2023 in which an increase of 15.3% was shown compared to 2022. However, the number of appeals filed in July 2024 increased by 3.1% compared to the same period of the previous year, and assuming the trend of 2023, which showed a more rapid increase in the second half, we will have to wait to see the total number of appeals filed in 2024.