1. A national strategic technology IP support group launched to develop and support a national strategic technology.
-Dedicated IP analyst and analysis staff covering 12 national strategic technologies were organized.
-IP analysis results are to be provided to a research and development (R&D) department to be utilized for R&D policy.
On February 21, 2024, KIPO held a ceremony to launch the ‘national strategic technology IP support group’ (hereinafter, referred to as the ‘support group’).
To secure leadership in the competition for global technological hegemony, in September 2023 the government enforced the ‘special law of the national strategic technology development’ to select 12 national strategic technologies by considering economic, diplomatic and security values and to systematically develop and support them.
The 12 national strategic technologies include semiconductor, display, secondary battery, advanced mobility, next generation nuclear power, advanced bio, aerospace and marine, etc.
To support an IP-based national strategic technology development, the support group consists of an analysis committee member and a dedicated IP officer having a doctor or patent attorney-level skill in each technological field and an IP patent expertise.
The support group provides the R&D department with results of analyzing IP bigdata relating to the 12 national strategic technologies, such that a professional organization is able to use the results as basic data of the R&D policy.
2. 38 new patent examiners are to be hired to secure superiority in the secondary battery field.
-A highly experienced private sector person with abundant field experience is to be hired in the secondary battery field following the semiconductor field.
As a part to strengthen competitiveness in a national high-tech strategic industry, KIPO announced to additionally hire 38 professional fixed-term patent examiners in the secondary battery field after it hired 67 semiconductor examiners in 2023.
Secondary batteries together with semiconductors are two major security and strategic assets for Korea. The number of patent applications in the secondary battery field to protect a Korean company’s core technology has rapidly increased, from 8,940 in 2018 to 15,720 in 2023 (an annual increase rate: 11.9%). However, although an examination processing period has been shortened since the secondary battery field was additionally designated as one of subjects for preferential examination in February 19, 2024, an examination process has been delayed due to lack of patent examiners.
The plan is to achieve the effects of providing a Korean company with quick and accurate patent examination results and preventing a rise in core technology leaks overseas on the rise, by hiring a highly experienced private sector person with technical expertise and field experience in the secondary battery field as a patent examiner.
Such a patent examiner to be hired is a national civil servant with technical expertise, which corresponds to level 5 (level B of the professional fixed-term system). Therefore, since the examiner has no retirement age unlike a general public official and is recognized for a private carrier, (s)he is high paid more than a 5th grade general public official who is hired as a new employee.
It is possible to extend work up to 10 years, without age limit, depending on capacity and budget after a first contract and it is also possible to apply for the fixed-term civil servant recruitment exam again even after expiration of the term (10 years).
A total of 38 people are hired in divided 7 specific fields: ▲cell structure design and assembly process ▲ battery packaging and peripherals ▲battery management system (BMS), energy storage system (ESS) and waste battery ▲electrode structure and production ▲electrode materials and inorganic materials ▲electrolyte and organic compound, and ▲separator film and polymer materials.
Those with degrees and experience relating to a job field to be appointed may apply and the preference to work experience in the relevant job field will be given.
3. Securing a super gap is supported by a preferential examination of a secondary battery-related patent application (enforced from February 19, 2024).
-The examination process period in the secondary battery field is expected to be shortened from 22.9 months to 2 months.
-Gaining an edge over the competition in the secondary battery field is expected by rapidly securing a right.
According to KIPO, a patent application in the secondary battery field is designated as one of subjects for preferential examination from February 19, 2024. KIPO has designated the patent applications relating to a national advanced technology as subjects for preferential examination. Subjects for preferential examination have been expanded to 3 fields including the secondary battery field since February 19, 2024 following the semiconductor (November 1, 2022) field and the display field (November 1, 2023).
A secondary battery which is a core technology in an eco-friendly mobility industry including electric vehicle is a field where competition to secure a patent right to defend against technological competition becomes fierce. The number of patent applications in the secondary battery field over the last 5 years rapidly increased by an annual average of 11.9%, which exceeded 4 times of the annual increase rate in the number of patent applications in the entire fields, showing that R&D in the secondary battery field is active.
As the secondary battery field has been added to the subjects for preferential examination, the patent examination period is expected to be shortened from 22.9 months (2023) to 2 months.
In the situation that the competition for global technological hegemony has been intensifying, Korean companies are expected to accelerate technological leadership securing and technology protection by rapidly securing rights in the secondary battery field.
The specific subjects are the applications which directly relate to the secondary battery materials, components and equipment, manufacturing or design technology, including the applications filed by companies domestically producing the secondary battery-related products or devices, etc. or preparing for production thereof, those applications relating to results of the national R&D project relating to the secondary battery technology, or those applications filed by the secondary battery specialized university (graduate school) according to the National Advanced Strategic Industry Act.
To request a preferential examination, the explanation of request for a preferential examination shall be attached to a request form when submitted.
4. Check the bigdata of advanced industry patent bigdata at a glance!
-KIPO publishes and distributes patent bigdata analysis reports for national R&D efficiency.
-The reports are based on the analysis of the patent bigdata relating to strategic industries, such as AI, quantum technology, advanced semiconductors, etc.
-The patent bigdata analysis reports are available by online request in the patent bigdata center website of the Korea Intellectual Property Strategy Agency.
KIPO announced to publish and distribute 20 types of ‘2023 patent bigdata-based industrial innovation strategy reports’, which diagnose the technology status in the strategic industry field (such as AI, quantum technology, advanced semiconductors, etc.) and the economic security field, (such as EUV photoresist, r numerical controller, artificial graphite, etc.), by analyzing the patent bigdata of about 580 million cases worldwide.
To improve the national R&D efficiency, KIPO has provided domestic private and government R&D organizations with analysis results of the technological competitiveness and future promising technology of each country, derived from the domestic and overseas patent bigdata relating to an industry that has become a social topic or has emerged as a core every year.
Especially, in this analysis which KIPO collaborated with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the Korea Drug Development Fund, and Korea Automobile Research Institute, the analysis fields were selected according to R&D carried forward by each organization. The reports include: ▲technology level by country and South Korea’s competitiveness ▲ technology system and importance of each technology ▲technology status of major domestic and overseas companies, institutes and universities ▲areas of focus by major countries and companies ▲future promising technology, etc.
5. National technological innovation capacity is strengthened by fully utilizing intellectual property (IP) information.
-The bill of an ‘Industrial Property Information Utilization Promotion Act’ has passed the Cabinet meeting (January 30, 2024).
-An institutional foundation is prepared to strategically analyze and utilize the IP information.
-The IP information is analyzed to be provided to prevent technology leaks and to support R&D and industry.
According to KIPO, the bill of the management and utilization promotion law of industrial property information, which covers extensive analysis and utilization of intellectual properties (IP) including patents, trademarks, designs, etc., (hereinafter, referred to as the ‘Industrial Property Information Utilization Promotion Act’) passed the Cabinet meeting on January 30, 2024.
KIPO secures the IP information of about 580 million cases worldwide including the information on the latest technologies, companies, researchers. IP information is key information which can be used strategically in preventing duplication of R&D, analyzing major issues related to industry, economy and security, and establishing the national policy and company management strategy.
The number of secured IP information cases was 480 million cases in 2020, then 530 million cases in 2022 and 580 million cases in 2023.
However, despite the vast amount of IP information, since the legal basis for using it was insufficient, there was difficulty in actively utilizing IP information in finding or analyzing a national strategic technology, preventing technology leaks and developing a company’s technology, etc.
< An institutional foundation is prepared for strategic analysis and utilization of IP information>
The enactment of the Industrial Property Information Utilization Promotion Act prepared an institutional function to build the IP information’s strategic analysis and utilization system. The utilization range of IP information is greatly expanded.
The Industrial Property Information Utilization Promotion Act is to 1) provide industrial property information for national security and prevention of technology leaks, 2) analyze and utilize industrial property information for technology and industry support, and 3) prepare a basis of an IP-related business.
A basis has been prepared to analyze and utilize IP information in a pending application, to prevent a national security-related technology from leaking. In addition, it has become possible to establish a cooperation system between institutions to protect technology by providing analysis results to the relevant national organizations, etc.
IP information including inventor information (public information) has been collected to be organized, for R&D and industry support. A basis has been also prepared to process and analyze the IP information in a timely manner, so as to be utilized to establish the nationwide R&D and technology and industry-related strategies
Bases of the establishment of IP information system and database and the information business have been prepared, enabling the comprehensive and systematic management of IP information and increasing the utilization thereof.
The Industrial Property Information Utilization Promotion Act passing the Cabinet meeting was promulgated on February 6, 2024. It will come into force from August 6, 2024, 6 months after the promulgation, through the enactment of the Enforcement Decree thereof regarding the details on using and providing industrial property information, the content and procedure of industrial property information to be provided for national security, etc.
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