Patent Information as a National Asset... Enactment and Implementation of the Industrial Property Information Act

To prevent the leakage of technologies related to national security and to establish efficient industrial property strategies the Industrial Property Information Act which provides the basis for the strategic utilization of 580 million global patent information records will be officially implemented on August 7th (Wednesday).

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) (Commissioner Kim Wan-ki) announced that the Act on the Promotion of Management and Utilization of Industrial Property Information (hereinafter referred to as the Industrial Property Information Act) which encompasses the collection creation organization management and utilization of industrial property information will take effect starting August 7th (Wednesday).

The 580 million pieces of patent information (including trademark and design information) held by KIPO are crucial for preventing redundancy in research and development (R&D) and for the strategic utilization in analyzing major issues related to industry economy and security as well as in formulating national policies and corporate management strategies.

Trends in patent information acquisition (in units): (2020) 480 million → (2022) 530 million → (2023) 580 million
Despite this vast amount of patent information there has been a lack of legal basis for its active utilization making it challenging to fully leverage patent information.

The Industrial Property Information Act consists of:

Providing industrial property information for the purposes of national security and preventing technology leakage
Analyzing and utilizing industrial property information for technology and industry support
Establishing a patent information infrastructure
Building a Cooperation System Among National Administrative Agencies to Prevent Technology Leakage and Ensure National Security

With the implementation of the Industrial Property Information Act a foundation has been laid for analyzing and utilizing patent information related to national security technologies thereby facilitating the establishment of a cooperative system among national administrative agencies to protect such technologies by providing analysis results to them.

Previously only patent data disclosed 18 months after filing could be used limiting the analysis of the latest technologies and the provision of information to other agencies. However the enactment of the Industrial Property Information Act now allows for immediate responses to urgent matters related to technology security.

Supporting Efficient Industrial Property Strategy Formulation Through Patent Information Big Data

For R&D and industrial support the act allows for the big data collection and organization of patent information including inventor disclosure information to prevent redundant research and timely grasp global technology trends.

Additionally the act provides a basis for establishing patent information systems and databases enabling comprehensive and systematic management of patent information infrastructure.

Establishing a Basic Plan for Policy Discovery and Institutional Foundation for Utilizing Industrial Property Information

In conjunction with the implementation of the Industrial Property Information Act KIPO plans to establish a basic plan for the utilization of industrial property information by the end of the year. This plan will cover strategic analysis and utilization of patent information prevention and protection of technology leakage and support for the use of industrial property information.

In June a task force consisting of external experts from industry and academia was launched to develop this basic plan. Various opinions from related ministries patent information service providers applicants and inventors will be collected to formulate the plan.

Insoo Lee Director of the Industrial Property Information Bureau at KIPO stated In the ongoing situation of industrial technology leakage and infringement issues the implementation of the Industrial Property Information Act will leverage patent information to establish a technology safety net for our companies and support our enterprises and research institutions in creating more excellent patents.

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