Introduction

Since 2004, KIPO has contributed around 11.6 million Swiss francs (CHF) for the continued operation of the KIPO FIT (Funds-in-Trust) at WIPO. The main objectives of Korea KIPO FIT projects are to build IP office capacities, increase IP awareness, and improve the quality of life in less developed countries.

A ceremony commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Korea KIPO FIT&sestablishment was held during the WIPO 2014 General Assembly. This ceremony served to celebrate the Korea KIPO FIT's achievements and reinforce Korea's future commitment to playing a pivotal role in bridging the IP divide among WIPO member states

The ceremony to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Korea FIT&s establishment, &14. 10. (Geneva)

<The ceremony to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Korea FIT&sestablishment, &14. 10. (Geneva)>

Appropriate Technology Competitions

Over the past 10 years, the Korea KIPO FIT has made major advancements in enhancing socio-economic development, building capacities for IP offices, and increasing public IP awareness in less developed countries. One example of this is the annual Appropriate Technology (AT) competitions that have been held in 12 nations since 2011. These AT competitions support students and inventors in less developed countries by offering them an opportunity to utilize patent information in order to determine creative solutions to local problems, as well as to enhance regional incomes.
In 2022 and 2023, AT competitions were held in Republic of Dominica and Trinidad & Tobago. In Republic of Dominica, about 400 guests such as students, researcher 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.

AT competition award ceremony in Trinidad & Tobago, 2023. 3. (Port of Spain)

<AT competition award ceremony in Trinidad & Tobago, 2023. 3. (Port of Spain)>

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, animated videos featuring Pororo, a penguin-like character known around the world, were created. Education contents using Pororo has been translated into Korean, English, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian, and Thai. As of March 2023, the number of views of this video provided through YouTube exceeded 159 million.

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, 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.

Educational Programs

In addition, through cooperation with WIPO Academy, we support educational programs that foster IP experts in less developed countries.

WIPO Summer School

For example, we operate the WIPO Summer School in Daejeon. The objective of this project is to provide university students and young professionals 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

The 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 KIPO FIT. From 2019 to 2022, 53 students from 31 developing countries went through the course. In February 2023, the KIPO signed a MoU between the WIPO, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the KDI School for the more efficient operation of this course.

Ceremony for signing the MOU to establish a MIPD, Feb. 2023 (Seoul)

<Ceremony for signing the MOU to establish a MIPD, Feb. 2023 (Seoul)>

  • Last updated 11 May 2023
  • Trade and Cooperation Division