1. The period for processing a patent trial period will be shortened to six months or less this year (2007)
The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO: Commissioner: SangWoo JUN) has conducted the fastest patent trial in the world. According to the KIPO, the average period for processing a patent trial was fourteen months in 2003 but is expected to be shortened to six months, which is half or less than the previous trial time, in the four years after 2003.
This period for processing a patent trial in the Republic of Korea is shorter than the seven or eight months in Japan (based on 2006) and is equal to the six months in the U.S.A. with the shortest period of processing a patent trial in the world. Consequently, the Republic of Korea ranks with an advance country with respect to the period for processing a patent trial.
Having realized the fastest period for processing the patent examination in the world at the end of the last year, the KIPO can keep the promptness at the top world level in the processing of a patent trial.
In the keen technological competition era, faster settlement of a patent dispute is an indispensable condition for strengthening company competitiveness. Nevertheless, as the number of petitions for trial has rapidly increased every year, the period for processing a patent trial has been difficultly shortened.
To shorten the period for processing a patent trial, the KIPO supplemented the number of trial examiners by twice or more for two years, increasing the number of trial examiners from 49 in 2005 to 79 in 2006 and to 99 in 2007.
The KIPO further efficiently improved various processes and systems which had hindered the period for processing a patent trial from being shortened.
Furthermore, the shortening of the period for processing a patent trial makes it possible to realize the prompt commercialization as a result of the early settlement of a patent dispute. In this regard, the KIPO expects that the stability of company management and the efficiency of R&D investment will increase to greatly reinforce the national competitiveness.
2. The fees for registering a patent right/ a utility model right are sharply down
The KIPO decided to sharply reduce the fees for registering a patent right/ a utility model right from January 1, 2008.
This is to reduce the fees for registering the establishment of a patent patent/ a utility model right (for 1st to 3rd years) and the fees for annual registration thereof up to the 9th annuity (from 4th to 9th years) by the average of 11%. Therefore, it is presumed that an owner of the patent right/utility model right can reduce the burden by about 11,400,000,000 Korea Won.
An individual inventor or a company shall annually pay the registration fees of the patent right/ utility model right to establish and to keep the right. The registration fees may be a considerable burden to the inventor or company. Therefore, the KIPO decided to reduce the registration fees to reduce the burden of the registration fees of the patent right/utility model right on the side of the individual inventor or company and to strengthen the accessibility to patents by people.
In the future, the KIPO will continuously establish the fee system of low-cost and high-efficiency to reduce the cost burden of a right owner in commercializing the patent/ utility model, by positively responding to the voice of customer (VOC) related to the patent fees and the like.
3. The European Patent Office (EPO) will start the service of providing Korean patent documents in English version
Korean patent documents will be translated into English and be provided to Europe, so that the Korean patents will be more strongly protected in foreign countries.
On December 16, 2007, the KIPO and the EPO concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide European users with an English version of the Korean patent documents. The service of providing the English version of the Korean patent documents will start from 2008.
According to the MOU, KIPRIS is to provide the EPO with the English version of the Korean patent documents, which is translated using translation software, and the EPO is to start the service of providing the English version to European users.
From the beginning of this year (2007), the KIPO has provided the English version of the Korean patent documents, which is in real-time translated using the translation software, to worldwide users through the internet.
As the quality of the translation has been recognized by foreign users, in April 2007 the EPO transferred to the KIPO the opinion that the EPO would directly provide the European users with the service of the English version of the Korean patent documents. As the result, the KIPO and the EPO reached this agreement.
Accordingly, since the European users can receive the English version of the Korean patent documents through the search system of the EPO, which is more familiar to the European users, it is expected that the convenience of the users will increase and the use of the Korean patent documents will substantially increase.
A spokesman of the KIPO said, “there have been a rush of requests for businesses related to the service of providing the English version of the Korean patent documents from the private patent information companies, such as a USA Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) company and others.” The spokesman also added that the KIPO would plan to strengthen the protection of the Korean patents in foreign countries, by promoting and expanding the supply of the Korean patent documents in English through the cooperation with foreign agencies and private patent information companies in the future.
4. Technologies of wireless chargers for mobile phones are actively developed
There are actively developed the technologies for wirelessly charging mobile electronic machines, such as mobile phones, MP3 players and others.
According to the KIPO, as the functions of mobile phones or PDAs have been diverse and the amount of battery consumption has rapidly increased, the number of patent applications related to the technologies for wirelessly charging mobile electronic machines without any contacts.
Meanwhile, the electromagnetic induction method using coils has been mainly used as an example of the wireless charging technologies. However, there is recently appearing a wireless power transmission method which converts electrical energy to microwaves to be transferred. This technology receives attention because it does not need any wire chargers so that it enhances the portability of the electronic machines.
Classified by technologies, in 2002 there were only 29 patent applications filed related to the ‘non-contacting chargers’ which wirelessly provide batteries with power by the electromagnetic induction method. However, during the period from 2003 to November 2007, there were 92 patent applications filed related to the technologies thereof. The technologies are mainly applied to the electronic machines, such as electric toothbrushes, fishing floats, electronic tags, lighting devices, remote controllers and others.
A spokesman of the KIPO said, “The tendency of the consumers seeking the convenience of life is changing to request wireless chargers, and at home and abroad the technologies of wirelessly transmitting power to the distance of several tens meters by using microwaves have developed. Accordingly, the number of patent applications related to the charging technologies based on the wireless power transmission method is expected to continuously increase.”
|
