Martial Arts Genre Holds Seminar on Environmental Regulations and Intellectual Property Rights for European Market Entry

EU Strengthens Climate Change and Environmental Regulation Policies Trends

The Korea International Trade Association held a "Briefing Session on Environmental Regulations and Intellectual Property Rights for Entry into the European Market" at the Trade Tower in Samseong-dong on the 26th. Mi-ae Kim, head of the KITA FTA Comprehensive Support Center, is delivering the opening remarks.

The event, attended by 70 companies aspiring to enter the European market, featured presentations on ▲ EU REACH (New Chemical Substance Management System) ▲ RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive) ▲ EU Ecodesign and Energy Label environmental regulations ▲ and intellectual property systems such as patents, trademarks, and designs.

Kim Mi-ae, Head of the FTA Comprehensive Support Center at the Korea International Trade Association, stated in her opening remarks, "As the EU significantly strengthens its climate change and environmental policies and leads the global environmental agenda, our companies also need to assess and respond to the impacts of EU-originated environmental regulations applied across various fields." She added, "In particular, with the introduction of the EU unitary patent system, costs and administrative burdens are expected to decrease, and unified management and enforcement of patent rights will become possible, requiring our companies to establish strategic plans."

Lee Sang-hoon, Principal Researcher at the Korea Testing Laboratory for Machinery, Electrical and Electronics, explained the current situation of the EU strengthening environmental regulations in line with its 2050 carbon neutrality goal during his presentation on ‘Trends in EU Ecodesign and Energy Label Regulations.’ He said, "Since regulations led by the EU may also be introduced as regulations in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and other regions, our companies need thorough prior preparation to respond to these regulations."

Lee Byung-hee, Patent Attorney at Daul Patent Firm, gave a presentation on ‘European Intellectual Property System and IP Strategy.’ He explained, “From June 1, the EU unitary patent system allows patent application, examination, and registration procedures to be conducted at the European Patent Office in a single process," adding, "This means that a single patent registration will have unified patent rights effect across all participating member states without individual national patent registration procedures.” He also noted that the implementation of the unitary patent system, which enables unified rights enforcement, could reduce the administrative burden for our companies in acquiring patents.

Meanwhile, the Korea International Trade Association operates a Non-Tariff Barriers Call Center, providing free telephone consultations on intellectual property rights and overseas certifications.