1. Reinforcement of IP capability is sought in the semiconductor field
- KIPO and KSIA held a next-generation semiconductor forum
On November 20, 2014, the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association (KSIA) jointly held the next-generation semiconductor forum in the KSIA meeting hall in Pangyo, Gyeonggi-do.
The next-generation semiconductor forum has been held every year, to improve the IP capability in the semiconductor field. This year forum was focused on reinforcing the professionalism of people in charge of IP in the semiconductor field through the private and public joint cooperation as a plan to improve the patent competitiveness in the semiconductor fabricating equipment and material fields.
This forum was formed of a program including the contents drawn through a discussion with the people in charge of IP of major medium and small companies in the semiconductor field and the contents imperatively necessary in the relevant industry.
Additionally, as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy presented the R&BD strategies of semiconductor process/fabrication equipment and KIPO presented the plans related to the patent strategy blueprint in the semiconductor field, this forum is expected to maximize the effects of the government support policies to the relevant industry.
The head of the Examination Bureau of Semiconductors said, “We hope this forum is an opportunity that medium and small companies can reinforce the IP professionalism to overcome any fear of patent disputes. Also, we expect the semiconductor field among all industrial fields of our country will perform a role as an advance base of the creative economy.”
2. A seminar to reinforce ‘patent competitiveness of LED convergence lighting was held
LED convergence lighting is a new industry to create high added value through a creative convergence with the other industrial technologies beyond simply replacing the existing incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps with LED lamps.
Based on the distinguishable characters of LED in that the intensity of radiation and the luminous wavelength are adjustable, LED convergence lighting has become an object of great interest in the agricultural life, marine and medical fields that cultivate markets by developing new products not shown in the previous lighting industry.
According to KIPO, the number of patent applications related to LED convergence lighting in the agricultural life, marine and medical fields was a total of 693 during the last 5 years (2009~2013), showing an increase of 193% in comparison with 236 during the period of 2004~2008. Specifically, the number of patent applications in the agricultural life was only 38 during the period of 2004~2008 but 325 during the 2009~2013 showing a sharp increase of more than 8 times.
Among the patent applications related to LED convergence lighting in the agricultural life, marine and medical fields, which were filed during the last 5 years, those filed by small and medium companies and by individuals were overwhelming with 42.9% (297 applications) and 32.0% (222 applications), respectively. However, those filed by big companies was only 3.2% (22 applications). This shows an opposite aspect to that the LED-related applications in the display field were mostly filed by big companies. For reference, big companies filed 65.5% of the LED-related patent applications in the display field during the last 5 years. This is considered that since LED convergence lighting tends to be small quantity batch production, it is appropriate to be led by small and medium companies.
3. A first general meeting of an IP Creative Company Council was held to spread IP-R&D strategies
On November 25, KIPO held the first general meeting of IP Creative Company Council with about 100 representatives of the patent-based small and medium companies, IP service companies and relevant organizations. They made sure of a role of the Council as a center to spread the research and development from the point of view of intellectual property (hereinafter, referred to as “IP-R&D”) and to share the outcome thereof.
The IP Creative Company Council is an autonomous consultative group where the companies and industry-university-institute-related organizations participating in the IP-R&D project gather to communicate and cooperate. This Council starting from April this year has made efforts for research for IP-R&D popularity, manpower cultivation and job creation and performed the role of finding and proposing difficulties or unreasonable regulations in the company sites.
This Council plans to develop activities of reinforcing IP-R&D capability of membership companies, training IP-R&D expert manpower, strengthening the membership companies’ networks and the relevant organizations’ cooperation, making an excellent casebook and holding a competitive exhibition of patent analysis methodology among the others in 2015, to build productive IP-R&D environments by reinforcing the industry-university-institute cooperative system.
4. A 2014 China Trademark Festival was held in great success from November 8~10 in Suzhou, China
The China Trademark Festival is the biggest event in the Chinese brand field, which is held every year by the China Trademark Association under the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) of the People’s Republic of China.
This year, the event was attended by more than 1,000 people including major companies’ enterprisers and trademark experts throughout the China area and foreign guests from the main countries including the Republic of Korea, US and Japan. During the event, many forums were held regarding Chinese brand strategies and trademark protection-related main issues. The Chinese brand fair using an exhibition stand of 30,000m2 was simultaneously operated full time during the event period, boasting a size which was best ever.
Mr. Liu Junchen, Vice Minister of SAIC, emphasized that they would devote all their strength to the promotion of global brands in the future, stressing “even though the number of Chinese trademark applications reached about 1,900,000 in only the year of 2013, holding 1st in the world rank, there is almost no global brand coming to mind when you think of China.”
The close cooperation between the Republic of Korea and China has become more important than ever due to the awareness improvement of the importance of Chinese brand values and a recent rapid increase in the number of trademark applications between the two countries. As of 2013, the number of Chinese trademark applications filed by Korean applicants was 8,331 and the number of Korean trademark applications filed by Chinese applicants was 2,345, showing an increase of more than 30% compared with the previous year.
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