August 17, 2022
KIPO Commissioner Holds Bilateral Talks with 12 IP Offices and Delivers a Statement at the 63rd WIPO General Assembly
- A total of five collaborative MOUs signed -
- Urged to promote innovation and improve IP systems in order to overcome current crisis -
□ KIPO Commissioner Insil LEE participated in the 63rd Series of Meetings of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) General Assemblies (also called the WIPO General Assembly) in Geneva from July 13 to 22, 2022.
Before start of the series of meetings, as a chief representative of Korea, Commissioner Lee held talks with representatives of IP offices of 12 countries over three days, including Mexico, Singapore, Australia, France, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Chile, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
KIPO successfully signed an MOU on the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)* with France and several other MOUs for inclusive cooperation with each the UK, Canada, Mongolia, and Chile.
Additionally, KIPO discussed recent IP trends with Mexico and Indonesia and planed to have cooperation on PPH and Patent Recognition Program (PRP)* to facilitate quick acquisition of patent rights of Korean businesses in the intranational markets.
□ On July 15, 2022, Commissioner Lee delivered a general statement to the member states at the WIPO General Assembly which called on the international society to make improvements to the IP systems and promote innovative activities in response to changes in the economic environment brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and digital transformations.
Also mentioned was KIPO’s efforts of the past few years to accelerate digital innovation and enhance protection of computer-generated image graphic designs, data, and publicity of well-known persons, as well as KIPO’s outstanding achievements in innovation such as ranking fourth in the world in the number of PCT applications and fifth in the Global Innovation Index, etc.
□ Afterwards, Commissioner Lee expressed that the meetings at WIPO provided an opportunity to confirm Korea‘s key role at the center of the international IP field. KIPO will continue its efforts to facilitate the sustainable development of less developed countries by enhancing their IP capabilities and to support Korean businesses in the international market through international cooperation.
* Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH): A system that allows fast-track patent examinations in one country when the same patent by the same patent applicant receives positive examination results from the other country.
** Patent Recognition Program (PRP): A program that allows the quick registration of a patent without going through a separate examination process in another country when the patent is eligible for registration or already registered in Korea.