Andrzej Gadkowski a lawyer from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has been dispatched to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and will officially begin his duties on Monday October 14. This will allow Korean companies to consult directly with a WIPO official in Seoul regarding international patent and trademark applications as well as intellectual property (IP) dispute resolution significantly improving the convenience of WIPO services.

On October 13 KIPO Commissioner Kim Wan-ki announced that WIPO staff member Andrzej Gadkowski will begin his assignment at KIPO’s Seoul office on October 14.

The dispatch of a WIPO official to KIPO follows a proposal made in February of last year when WIPO Director General Daren Tang visited Korea and met with President Yoon Suk-yeol suggesting a staff exchange program between Korea and WIPO. This marks the first time WIPO has sent a staff member to a member country’s patent office and it is also the first instance of a United Nations-affiliated organization sending a staff member to work at a Korean government agency.

During his time in Korea Andrzej Gadkowski will provide consultation and outreach services related to various WIPO offerings including the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) international patent applications the Madrid international trademark applications the Hague international design applications and dispute resolution. He will also gather feedback from Korean users and stakeholders to help improve WIPO services.

Earlier this year a KIPO official was dispatched to WIPOs headquarters in Geneva Switzerland in May to work in the field of global challenges.

KIPO Commissioner Kim Wan-ki stated “With the dispatch of a WIPO expert to Korea our companies which rank fourth globally in PCT international patent applications can now receive consultation services without time constraints. We plan to continue this staff exchange program to enhance accessibility to WIPO services for our applicants and positively influence future efforts to host a WIPO regional office in Korea.”