AJU IP Report
IP Report
Korean intellectual property environment, AJU News, IP News, and a guide to the Korean IP system for international clients.
Legal Updates
IP News
Recent Korean IP law, KIPO policy, statistics, patent decisions, trademark rulings, and litigation updates.
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IP NewsChanges to Korea’s Intellectual Property (IP) System in 2026
To enhance the efficiency of IP administration in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution—and to consolidate IP-related functions that had been dispersed across multiple min...
IP NewsSupreme Court Clarifies the Standard for Assessing the “Enablement Requirement” in Patent Specifications
The defendant filed a trial for invalidation of the plaintiff's registered patent titled 'Pharmaceutical Combination of an Angiotensin Receptor Antagonist and an NEP Inhibitor,'...
IP NewsExtension of the Period for Submitting an Opinion (2 months -> 4 months)
For notices of reasons for refusal issued by examiners on or after July 11, 2025, the period for submitting a written opinion in response is extended from 2 months to 4 months.
IP News2025 Annual IP Statistics Trends in Korea – Solid Growth in Both Filings and Registrations
According to the December 2025 IP statistics trend report released by the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the cumulative number of applications across patents, utili...
IP NewsSupreme Court clarifies composite-trademark similarity: “The dominant portion is not limited to a single element.”
On November 20, 2025, the Supreme Court of Korea reversed the lower court's acquittal and remanded a case under the Trademark Act, which turned on whether a composite mark used...
IP NewsTrademark Infringement Criteria Amid the Expansion of the Pre-owned Luxury “Remaking” Market
[Award] Excellence Prize at the IPTAB Case Law Research Paper Contest – Trademark Infringement Criteria Amid the Expansion of the Pre-owned Luxury “Remaking” Market
IP NewsMajor Revisions to the Prioritized Examination: Simplified Proof of Commercial Use and Expanded Scope of Green Technologies
Various changes were made to the requirements and applicable subjects for prioritized examination of patents and utility models in 2025.
IP NewsHS Hyosung vs. Kolon Industries Patent Dispute: Intellectual Property Court Rules Kolon’s Patent Invalid, Siding with Hyosung
In the patent dispute between HS Hyosung (hereinafter “Hyosung”) and Kolon Industries (hereinafter “Kolon”) regarding “hybrid tire cords,” the Korean Intellectual Property Court...
IP NewsIntellectual Property Statistics Trends in Korea for First Half of 2025 – Decline in Applications, Increase in Registrations
According to the intellectual property statistic trends announced by the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) on July 8, 2025, the total number of cumulative applications...
IP NewsMajor Revisions to the Trademark Law – Shortening of Appeal Period, etc.
With the revisions to the Korean Trademark Act in 2025, changes were applied to several policies.