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US patent publications are available in the Korean language. (News Letter No. 511)

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KH

Post Date　
2023-09-01

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1. US patent publications are available in the Korean language.

- KIPO opens, without charge, about 14,800,000 Korean translation data of US patent publications.
- KIPO uses its own AI translation system, optimizing a translation in the patent field.
- KIPO plans to additionally open about 38,000,000 Korean translation data of Chinese patent publications in the next year.

According to KIPO, from August 21, 2023 Korean translation data of US patent publications have been available, without charge, to the public through KIPRISPlus which is the base to open Korean and foreign patent data.



The data to be available total 14,800,000 Korean translations of US published patent applications and registered patent publications issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office from 1974 to October 2022.

By using the opened data, Korean people and companies are able to easily search and view vast English versions of US patent publications in Korean language and to use them for a patent analysis, such as patent valuation, etc.

Further, IP-related companies are expected to create new added values by developing services utilizing US patent data.




These data are built by using the AI English-Korean translation system which was developed by KIPO in 2021.

KIPO has continued to improve the translation quality by teaching AI to understand difficult technical terms and sentence structures in the patent field and to build and learn data in the patent publications and examination and trial documents, etc.



This is the second opening of Korean translation data, with the first being the opening of Korean translation data of European patent publications (5,000,000 cases) in December 2022. Next year, about 38,000,000 Korean translations of Chinese patent documents will be available by using an AI Chinese-Korean translation system.

Sequentially, an AI Japanese-Korean translation system will be also developed, to make available about 26,000,000 Korean translations of Japanese patent documents.



2. KIPO starts responding to the ‘disclosure of origin or source of genetic resources’ when a patent application is filed.

- Ahead of the 2024 diplomacy conference of the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO), a meeting of the related industry and related organization was held (August 23).
- Since a voice for the obligation of a developing country as a resource-rich country has been louder, it needs to seek a Korean company’s countermeasures.

On August 23, 2023, KIPO held a meeting in the KIPO Seoul office, to share a discussion trend regarding the disclosure of origin or source of genetic resources issued by WIPO and to collect opinions from the related industry and organization.
The disclosure of origin or source of genetic resources means that, when a patent application for an invention using genetic resources (plant, animal, microbial, etc.) and the associated traditional knowledge is filed, the origin (country of origin or source, etc.) of the genetic resources and the associated traditional knowledge used for the invention be disclosed.

The meeting was held to prepare an advantageous plan for Korean companies by collecting opinions from the relevant industry and organization, ahead of a diplomacy conference preparatory committee in September.

KIPO presented the discussion trend of the international rule relating to the disclosure of origin or source of genetic resources and whether it is in compliance with the Korean patent system. The relevant industry called on the government to respond such that the related international rule does not give burden to Korean companies.

Based on the Nagoya Protocol (adopted in 2010), which is an international agreement providing that benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources shall be shared with the country providing the genetic resources, a developing country (resource-rich country) is to disclose the origin or source of genetic resources when filing a patent application relating to genetic resources. In the WIPO general assembly (2022), it was decided to hold a diplomacy conference meeting in 2024 to establish an international treaty concerning the disclosure of origin or source of genetic resources.

When the international treaty relating to the disclosure of origin or source of genetic resources is adopted in the diplomacy conference in 2024, many countries are expected to join the treaty. It is a time for Korean companies to be careful and to seek countermeasures.

KIPO has a plan to prepare the disclosure of origin or source of genetic resources by a secondary meeting, research and service of an impact on the industry, analysis and public relations of overseas systems, etc.



3. A design protection for a Korean company to enter Brazil is strengthened by a global cooperation.

- KIPO and the Brazilian Patent Office (BPO) have started an online exchange of a certified copy of a design priority document.
- The number of countries to online exchange a certified copy of a design priority document expands to 23.

A design protection for a Korean company to enter Brazil will be further strengthened. According to KIPO, when a Korean applicant files a design application in Brazil, KIPO provides an online exchange service of a certified copy of a priority document (hereinafter, referred to as “DAS” (digital access service).

Since an applicant does not need to directly submit a certified copy of a priority document (paper) overseas, the applicant’s convenience is greatly improved and it is also expected to be easy to secure a right locally.



Brazil is the largest market in Central and South America and Korean exports to Bazil reached about 11.7 billion dollars (based on 2022) per year. Brazil was 19th place in ranking the countries where Korean applicants filed IP overseas applications (based on 2020). Over the last 10 years (2012~2021), Korean applicants filed about 3,700 patent applications and about 1,400 design applications, showing that the importance of IP protection for Korean companies in Brazil has been grown.

Previously, when a Korean applicant filed a design application by claiming a design priority in Brazil, the applicant requested KIPO to issue a certified copy of the design priority document (paper) and sent the document by international mail or submitted it to BPO through a local agent. It would be cumbersome and costly and there would be also the risk of missing the submission deadline of it.

Now, to claim a design priority, an applicant may describe, in an application to be filed with BPO, an access code of DAS, a Korean application number and a Korean application filing date which are described in a Korean application number notice. Then, on behalf of the applicant, KIPO online transmits a certified copy of a priority document to BPO.



Since KIPO first operated DAS of a certified copy of design priority document with China in July 2018, the number of the countries subjected to this DAS expanded to 23 as of August 8 2022. The DAS with Lithuania started in July 2023 and the DAS with Italy will be operated in September this year.



4. KIPO visits to inform how to protect a design.

- KIPO has held an open forum for design protection in Seoul, Gwangju, Changwon and Gumi (August 17~September 8, 2023).
- Design protection strategies, design information analysis and how to use the analyzed design information have been introduced to small and medium companies and designers.

KIPO held an open forum for design protection for small and medium companies and designers, by touring the country, starting Design-Driven Manufacturing Innovation Center in Seoul on August 17, then Gwangju on August 25, Changwon on September 1 and Gumi on September 8.

The open forum introduces strategies by experts in each field to effectively protect a design creation by using an IP right, and how to use analyzed information of a registered design to develop a new product.

As a lecturer, KIPO’s technical design special judicial police officer professionally investigates an infringement crime of a design right and explains what to do in response to design infringement.

The open forum is scheduled to be held in 4 places of Design-Driven Manufacturing Innovation Center operated by Korea Institute of Design Promotion. The Center has supported local small and medium companies and middle market enterprises in a program of designing a proprietary trademark (brand) product by combining a design with accumulated manufacturing experience.

This open forum is expected to be helpful for local small and medium companies and middle market enterprises in raising awareness of design rights.
　

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