1. The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO, Commissioner: Soo-won LEE) tentatively introduces an ‘Community Patent Review’
Relevant technical experts are now able to participate in KIPO patent examinations to freely present their opinion. KIPO announced that the Community Patent Review (CPR) would be tentatively introduced by publishing major technical patent data through the Internet to collect the opinions of the relevant technical experts and to reflect the opinions in patent examinations.
The technical fields of patent applications to be tentatively published are 50 including mobile communication, electronic commerce, computer and display. The patent applications of these technologies are published in the patent application portal (www.patent.go.kr) to collect the expert opinion.
The amount of documents that KIPO examiners consider and judge has increased due to the cutting-edge (greatest advancement) and combination of technologies. Furthermore, the need to actively collect the opinions of experts has increased due to the fast speed of the technical development. Based on these factors, the CPR is introduced.
People eligible to present their opinions related to the published patent applications are technical experts working in institutes, companies, universities and patent offices, among others. These technical experts act as the community patent reviewers through the on-line procedures for admission.
The reviewers not only state their opinions on the techniques in the patent applications but also exchange the technical information with the other experts in the same fields.
The number of the experts participating as the community patent reviewers is 43 up to now. They presented their opinions on 8 of 50 techniques as filed.
2. The Korean Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) has developed a technology capable of online transactions using a smart-phone
Technology has been developed to enable online transactions, such as internet banking, internet shopping or the like, through a smart-phone. ETRI announced that they developed the ‘Smart Sign’ technology to enable an electronic signature using an officially approved authentication certificate in all web browsers of the smart-phone. ETRI is also promoting the commercialization of this technology.
At present, the authentication certificate-based electronic signature is realized by a plug-in scheme, such as ActiveX, but it is not supported by the smart-phone web browser, such as the Safari iPhone. Thus, it is impossible to perform the web-based online transactions, such as internet banking or the like by using the smart-phone.
However, the technology developed by ETRI is capable of the online transactions only if a common smart-sign application, irrespective of the features of a browser, is installed instead of plug-in depending on a browser.
This technology also is capable of the electronic signature using an authentication certificate in the same manner in all browsers, regardless of the kind of iPhone, Android and others.
ETRI has completed technical verification and patent application filing. For earlier commercialization, ETRI will publish a smart app for iPhone this June and version for Android this August.
3. The electronic trial system was first operated on April 26, 2010
The electronic trial system is first introduced in the Patent Court. Under the system, the proceeding process of a case (such as the designation of a trial date, the submission of an evidence document, and the providing of a written trial decision, among others) is guided through an e-mail and a text-message of a mobile phone, and the proceeding process of a trial is viewed through the internet.
When the electronic trial system is fully operational, the concerned parties who agree with an electronic trial are informed of the proceedings of a case by a mobile phone or e-mail, rather than by a registered mail, to be faster aware of a process result of the case.
Before the electronic trial system was fully operational, on March 16, 2010 the Patent Court located in Daejeon operated, as a test case, the electronic oral pleading using the electronic trial system while the plaintiff and the defendant were actually present.
Both concerned parties pleaded in a presentation manner, rather than an oral/reading manner, of the relevant document.
4. Soo-won LEE, head of the Emergency Economy Situation Room of Cheongwadae which is the Korean presidential residence, was nominated as the Commissioner of KIPO
Myoung-bahk LEE, President of the Republic of Korea, nominated Soo-won LEE, head of the Emergency Economy Situation Room of Cheongwadae, as the new Commissioner of KIPO.
Soo-won LEE was born in Hwachoen, Gangwon-do and graduated Chooncheon High Schoole and the Department of Business Administration of Korea University. Passing the 23rd Civil Service Examination, Lee served as a chief of the general planning office and a finance operating and planning official at the Ministry of Planning & Budget, and a financial affairs management official at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.
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