Please verify the validity of the intellectual property rights before using cleaning products.

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced on the 9th that in response to the increasing interest in cleaning products due to the rise in single-person households and heightened concern for hygiene they conducted a focused crackdown on false labeling of intellectual property rights across the entire cleaning products sector including cleaning tools and detergents from February 14 to March 15 2024 identifying 367 cases of false labeling.

The global household cleaning products market is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 4.3% from 2023 to 2028 (TechNavio Global Household Cleaning Products Market November 2023).
Given the high public interest in cleaning products this crackdown included investigations into bathroom cleaning products kitchen cleaning products car cleaning products and other areas closely related to everyday life sold on major open markets*.

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The types of false labeling identified were: 246 cases of expired rights being displayed as valid 59 cases of products falsely claimed to be in the application process 52 cases of incorrect indication of the type or number of intellectual property rights and 10 cases of non-existent or inapplicable rights being displayed. The most common issue was expired rights being falsely labeled as valid.

The types of products involved in false labeling included: 114 bathroom cleaning products 100 kitchen cleaning products 95 indoor cleaning products 48 car cleaning products and 10 other products (such as pet cleaning products) indicating that false labeling of intellectual property rights occurs across various cleaning sectors.

For the identified cases KIPO collaborated with open market operators to notify them of the false labeling guide them on the correct labeling methods and completed corrective actions such as modifications and deletions. Additionally since May as part of proactive administration in private cooperation they have been conducting a year-round QR Code Labeling Campaign*.

Encouraging the use of QR codes that provide intellectual property information when scanned in online sales postings.
Jung In-sik Director of the Industrial Property Protection Cooperation Bureau at KIPO stated “Cleaning products that reduce household chores have recently caught consumers attention leading to the expansion of the related market. We will strengthen inspections on false labeling of items with high public interest and strive to expand education and promotional activities to spread the culture of proper intellectual property rights labeling.”

Meanwhile reports of false intellectual property rights labeling can be made through the False Intellectual Property Rights Labeling Report Center (https://www.ip-navi.or.kr/falsemark) or by contacting the representative number (1670-1279) for detailed consultation and guidance.