Korean Intellectual Property Office KIPO's Activities > IP & Development

Introduction

Since 2004, KIPO has contributed around a total of 15 million Swiss francs (CHF) for the continued operation of the Funds-in-Trust (FIT) Korea at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The main objectives of the projects carried out under the FIT Korea are to build IP capacities, increase IP awareness, and improve the quality of life in developing countries, least-developed countries, and countries-in-transition.

In 2024, a ceremony was organized to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the FIT Korea's establishment during the 65th WIPO General Assembly. The event served to celebrate the FIT Korea's achievements and reinforce Korea's future commitment to playing a pivotal role in bridging the IP divide among WIPO member states.

Appropriate Technology Competitions

The FIT Korea projects have made major advancements in enhancing socio-economic development, building capacities for IP, and increasing public IP awareness in least-developed countries. One example of this is the annual Appropriate Technology (AT) competitions that have been held in 13 countries since 2011. AT competitions support students and inventors of least-developed countries by offering them opportunity to utilize patent information in order to discover creative solutions to local problems as well as enhance regional income.

In 2022 and 2023, AT competitions were held in the Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago. In the Dominican Republic, about 400 guests such as students, researchers and private sector participated in the award ceremony. In Trinidad & Tobago, several private sector such as University of West Indies, National Institute of Higher education, research, science and technology participated as supporters.

Promotion/Translation/Printing of IP Materials

To promote public IP awareness, WIPO and KIPO agreed to jointly develop multimedia educational content that familiarizes children with the basic role of IP. In order to appeal to today's youth, an animated series was created featuring Pororo, a popular children's penguin-like character known around the world, which helps children more easily grasp the concepts of creativity and IP. The series is provided in Korean, English, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian, and Thai. The videos have been uploaded on YouTube, and the number of views have exceeded 159 million as of March 2023.

Educational Programs

To promote public IP awareness, WIPO and KIPO agreed to jointly develop multimedia educational content that familiarizes children with the basic role of IP. In order to appeal to today's youth, animated videos featuring &Pororo,& a penguin-like character known around the world, were created. In 2014, dubbed versions of these videos were produced in two languages, French and Spanish, to help children more easily grasp the concepts of creativity and IP.

WIPO Summer School

For example, KIPO operates the WIPO Summer School in Daejeon. The objective is to provide university students and young professionals with deeper knowledge of the various IP fields, as well as the role and function of the IP system, through lectures, case studies, exercises, and group discussions.

For more information : http://www.wipo.int/academy/en/courses/summer_school

MIPD courses

KIPO has operated a Master's course in Intellectual Property and Policy Development (MIPD) at the Korean Development Institute (KDI) School of Public and Policy Management since 2019 using the FIT Korea. From 2019 to 2022, 53 students from 31 developing countries went through the course. In February 2023, KIPO signed an MoU with WIPO, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and KDI for a more efficient operation of this course.

Last updated 19 August 2024
Trade and Cooperation Division

KIPO's Activities