600. To support the IP situation of SMEs, KIPO operates Regional IP Centres that provide consulting on IPRs and solving IPR-related difficulties. Additionally, SMEs can receive analysis and diagnosis on their situation from consultants and experts through the Regional IP Centre. Thereafter, the SME are provided with support to obtain IP strategies necessary for business expansion such as patent maps, design maps, and brand development. In 2019, services to support SMEs were carried out for 1,471 IP issues and 231 brand development projects. Following the providing of such services, IPR applications for patents, trademarks and designs by SMEs have gradually increased, and the gap between IP capabilities of large companies and SMEs is expected to reduce.
Cases of K-Brand Protection in Overseas Markets
601. Many times, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) export first in order for early entry in overseas markets then recognize the need to secure trademarks afterwards as the volume of export increased. Exploiting such situation, foreign trademark brokers can pre-emptively register the trademarks of these brands.
602. Compared to large companies with specialized IP departments, SMEs are lacking in terms of scale or business experience which also influences their IP capacity. For that reason, SMEs often fall short in their ability to establish IP strategies and respond to IP disputes.
603. With the aim of preventing damage caused by the pre-emptive registration of trademarks and protecting the intellectual property rights of Korean companies overseas, the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) currently operates IP-DESK in 15 regions among nine countries where frequent intellectual property disputes occur. These IP-DESKs support Korean companies to secure overseas trademark rights and cope with infringement disputes. Also, local briefing sessions are organized to inform about damages from trademark brokers and strategies for response which will help raise awareness on the importance of securing overseas trademarks.