KIPO Announces Enrollment for 'Jisikjaesanhak' Credit Bank Program Students

Online Academic Schedule for Intellectual Property Credit Bank. Provided by the Korea Intellectual Property Training Institute, Korean Intellectual Property Office.

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The International Intellectual Property Training Institute of the Korean Intellectual Property Office announced on the 10th that it will recruit online students for the second semester of this year's Intellectual Property Studies credit bank course for one week starting from the 17th.

The credit bank system allows any general public who have graduated from high school or possess an equivalent academic background to take courses for free.

By completing a certain number of credits in the credit bank system, students can receive a 'Bachelor of Intellectual Property Studies' degree issued by the Minister of Education. Since the introduction of the credit bank system in 2016, a total of 225 people have obtained this degree to date.

The Intellectual Property Training Institute will also expand the enrollment capacity and the number of courses offered in the Bachelor of Intellectual Property Studies program. Last year, about 9,000 students were recruited, and 9 courses in the first semester and 8 courses in the second semester were offered. This year, the institute plans to recruit 10,000 students and expand the curriculum to 10 courses in the first semester and 9 courses in the second semester.

In particular, starting this year, the institute explained that students who take the Intellectual Property Aptitude Test (IPAT) can receive up to 25 credits recognized according to their score grade (1st to 4th grade), making it easier to obtain the degree. The Intellectual Property Aptitude Test is a practical competency verification exam for intellectual property, which assigns grades in seven levels based on scores (out of 990 points). Grades 1 through 4 are recognized as nationally certified qualifications.

The second semester courses include ▲Introduction to Intellectual Property ▲Trademark Law ▲Copyright Law ▲Research and Development and Intellectual Property ▲Intellectual Property Rights Management ▲Internet and Intellectual Property Law ▲Patent Information Search and Analysis ▲Understanding Technology Transfer and Licensing ▲Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Law, totaling 9 courses. Students can take up to 7 courses.

The second semester classes are scheduled to run for 15 weeks starting from the 27th of this month.

Hwang Ho-yoon, Director of the International Intellectual Property Training Institute at the Korean Intellectual Property Office, said, “We will systematically nurture intellectual property professionals through the credit bank system,” and added, “To this end, the Intellectual Property Training Institute will do its best to provide high-quality intellectual property education content suitable for the digital age to students.”