March 12, 2025
Korea-Spain Intellectual Property Cooperation Expands Notably in SME Support
Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) Commissioner KIM Wan Ki met with Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO) Director Elisa Rodríguez Ortiz on March 6 20205 in Madrid, Spain. The two leaders exchanged views on key IP issues between the two countries and discussed ways to enhance cooperation.
They made a special note on the importance of IP support for SMEs and agreed to share policy experiences and knowledge, particularly in areas such as utilizing patent big data in helping SMEs' research and development activities and promoting IP finance for SMEs that leverages IP assets in securing funds for business.
Additionally, the SPTO expressed its commitment to collaborating on the development of the Spanish-language version of "IP Panorama 2.0", a global IP e-learning content developed jointly by KIPO and the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO). The Office suggested having it released to the public, once completed, at the 2026 Ibero-America Industrial Property Program Conference to be taken place in Madrid, Spain.
Before concluding the meeting, the heads agreed to start working on the renewal of the memorandum of understanding on comprehensive cooperation signed between the two Offices in 2011, reflecting the changes in IP environment and new scope of bilateral cooperation.