Patent: Patent applications undergo a strict examination before being granted. Patents must have industrial applicability, novelty, and an inventive step, and have a term of 20 years from the filing date.
Utility Model: Utility Models can be registered without extensive examination and can later be converted into patents. The term for a Utility Model is 10 years from the date of filing.
Design Patent: A Design Patent protects the shape, pattern, color, or a combination of these aspects, that produce an aesthetic impression and have moveable properties. The term of a Design Patent is 20 years from the date of filing.1
Layout Design: A Layout Design is an intellectual property right that protects a plane or cubic design of circuit elements and wires connecting the elements wich is used for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit.2
Provisional patent: The Korean Patent Act contains flexible provisions allowing an applicant to obtain an early filing date.3
South Korea became a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1967 and is a signatory of numerous treaties and conventions including, but not limited to the following:
For information regarding how to file international, regional or national patent applications in each country, we welcome you to contact us.
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1 https://www.epo.org/searching-for-patents/helpful-resources/asian/korea/faq.html#faq-405
2 https://www.kipo.go.kr/kpo/user.tdf?a=user.english.html.HtmlApp&c=92101&catmenu=ek03_01_01_02#a2
3 https://www.kipo.go.kr/kpo/user.tdf?a=user.english.html.HtmlApp&c=30105&catmenu=ek03_02_02