‘Michael Jackson Summoning’ Hologram Patent Applications Increasing, Blurring the Line Between Reality and Virtuality

At the recently held "3rd 4th Industrial Revolution Festival" at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, visitors are watching a hologram performance of the late Kim Hyun-sik. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, has been summoned to the stage. On stage, he continues to sing and dance in his old form, neither aging nor dying. He is a hologram, a virtual entity without a physical presence. However, as the audience watches Michael Jackson in this virtual world, they cheer enthusiastically. This is thanks to the immersive experience that makes it feel as if he is alive and not dead, allowing them to meet him again through the performance.

Holograms are not limited to Michael Jackson; they can summon famous figures or deceased individuals who are difficult to meet in reality into the virtual world. This technology, which breaks down the boundaries between reality and virtuality, is gaining public attention.

In the near future, holograms are expected to potentially replace display fields across society, including medical care, home appliances, gaming, culture, and services. This means holograms will not only summon beloved figures but will also be widely integrated and utilized in various fields closely related to everyday life.

Supporting this, the display industry forecasts that the global hologram market size will reach $19.9 billion by 2024, growing at an average annual rate of over 5%.

In particular, the holographic display market, which reproduces holograms, has shown a rapid annual growth rate of 29.7% since 2018. Based on this, it is projected that the related market size will soar to $4 billion by 2024.

As global attention on holographic display technology increases and the market size expands, related patent applications are steadily rising, especially among the top five advanced patent countries (IP5).

Graph of annual patent application statistics for digital hologram-related technologies in Korea (above) and the entire IP5 (below) (2000-2020, patent applications are published 1 year and 6 months after filing, so the data for 2019 and 2020 as of early this year are partially collected). Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office, from 2000 to 2020, a total of 1,535 holographic display-related patents were filed in the IP5 countries. Among these five countries, the United States led with 513 patent applications, followed by South Korea with 328, China with 296, Japan with 212, and the European Union with 186.

Notably, during the same period, patent applications for holographic displays increased in all four countries except Japan, indicating that the behind-the-scenes competition among nations to secure patents in this field has already begun.

Domestically, patent applications related to holographic displays were most frequently filed by companies, followed by research institutes, universities, and individuals. Among these, companies accounted for an overwhelming 71% of the total patent applications.

From 2010 to 2020, Samsung led domestic patent applications in the holographic display field with 64 filings.

Following Samsung were the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) with 64, LG with 23, Kwangwoon University with 16, and the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI) with 7, all ranking in the top five for patent applications.

Lee Byung-woo, head of the Broadcast Media Examination Team at the Korean Intellectual Property Office, stated, “As the global hologram market grows, the speed of patent filings by foreign companies is also accelerating. Our companies must swiftly proceed with producing high-quality patents and patenting strategies to secure a competitive edge in the hologram market.”