The total preliminary number of IPR applications, including patents, utility models, designs, and trademarks, submitted to KIPO in 2016 amounted to 451,622; this was a 2.5% decrease from 2015. In 2016, patent applications totaled 208,830, showing a 2.3% decrease since 2015. Utility model applications decreased 5.2% since 2015, totaling 7,767, and this was the highest decline rate among all IPRs. Design applications decreased 3.9% for a total of 64,678 and trademart applications for 2016 totaled 17,347, a 1.3% decrease from 2015.

Volatility caused by the financial crisis lowered the number of patent applications by 4.2% in 2009, but this was soon rectified in 2010 by a 4.0% increase which kicked off an upward trend that has since continued unabated. Patent applications stood at around 200 in 1949, before jumping to around 5,000 in 1980, and 100,000 in 2000. This number has more than doubled to over 200,000 throughout the past 16 years.

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) statistics in March 2014, the number of global international applications filed under the PCT amounted to 205,300, representing a 5.1% increase in comparison to 2012. Korea experienced a 4.5% increase in PCT applications (from 11,847 in 2012 to 12,386 in 2013) which accounted for 6.0% of all PCT applications and was the 5th largest amount by country of origin. The number of international applications filed under the PCT by Korean applicants has experienced a steady annual increase and this can be seen as primarily due to a clearer understanding of the advantages of the PCT system, rising awareness as to the importance of IPRs, and continued efforts toward the consolidation of international patent rights.

In 2016, KIPO¡¯s first office action pendency was maintained at a similar level compared to other advanced countries while policy focus remained on examination quality. In line with the goal to maintain the current first office action pendency, the annual average first office action pendency period in 2016 was recorded at 10.6 months for patent and utility model rights, 4.8 months for trademarks and 4.7 months for design rights.

In 2016, a total of 86,811 cases of patent and utility models applications, which was 47.2% of all examination cases handled in 2016, were subject to prior art searches.

A total of 85,082 cases of trademark applications, which was 39.6% of all trademark applications submitted in 2016, and 30,061 cases of design applications, that is, 43.4% of all design applications submitted in 2016, were sent to independent agencies for prior trademark and design searches.

The number of PCT international searches undertaken by KIPO totaled 28,176 in 2016, this was a 1.0% decrease from 2015 which was 28,468. The number of international preliminary examinations undertaken by KIPO in 2016 was 209, an increase of 0.5% from 208 in 2015. The numbers have continuously decreased over the past few years due to the PCT regulation amendments in 2002, which extended the time taken to enter the designated states from 20 months to 30 months, even if international preliminary examination had not been requested.

This trend is also partly due to International Searching Authorities reviewing the patentability of applications since 2004.

The total number of registrations for intellectual property rights in 2016 reached 286,586, a 6.9% increase from 274,423 in 2015.

A breakdown of IP rights shows that: patent registrations reached 108,875, a 6.4% increase from 2015; utility models decreased by 12.3% to 2,854; and designs increased by 1.9% to 55,602. Further, trademark registrations increased by 3.9%, totaling 119,255.

The number of trial requests decreased by 14.5% to 11,960, from 13,986 in 2015.A look at IP statistics shows that: patents decreased by 25.4% to total 6,796, while utility models increased by 21.4% to total 306, trademarks increased by 4.8% for a total of 4,346, and designs increased by 7.3% to total 512.