"Connected Car Market Rapid Growth... Korea Leads Global Patent Applications"

Alongside autonomous driving, connected car technology is gaining attention. A connected car is a vehicle that communicates in real-time with surrounding vehicles, traffic and communication infrastructure, pedestrian devices, and more, enhancing driver convenience and traffic safety while providing internet services.

In particular, recently, there is growing industry interest with expectations that combining connected cars with 5G technology can contribute to improving the safety of autonomous driving.

The market size of connected cars is also projected to grow from $28.5 billion last year at an annual rate of 18.4%, reaching $153.5 billion by 2032.

Reflecting this, countries around the world are already actively developing technologies to secure a leading position in the connected car market. Amid this, South Korea is identified as leading in patent applications related to connected car technologies.

Trends in Connected Car Patent Applications by Applicant Nationality. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office on the 6th, the annual average growth rate of connected car-related patent applications filed with major patent offices (IP5) including South Korea, the United States, China, Europe, and Japan from 2011 to 2020 was 16.4%. During the same period, South Korea's annual average growth rate was 25.5%, ranking second in the world after China.

Generally, connected car technology is divided into vehicle-internal service technologies and communication technologies that enable interaction with surrounding objects.

In the service sector, China accounted for the largest share of patent applications at 36.8%, while in the communication sector, the United States ranked first with 41.0%, showing that leading countries differ by technology field.

Status report on prolific applicants of connected car-related patents. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

From 2011 to 2020, in the ranking of companies with the most patent applications related to connected car service technologies, Toyota (5.8%·3,207 cases) ranked first, followed by Hyundai Motor Company (3.2%·1,757 cases), Honda (2.6%·1,450 cases), and Wipro (2.6%·1,404 cases), highlighting the global automotive industry's leadership in connected car technologies.

However, in the 5G-V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication technology sector, where vehicles communicate with surrounding objects via 5G, LG (1st) and Samsung (2nd) have been confirmed to be positioned in the leading group.

Jeon Il-yong, head of the Autonomous Driving Examination Division at the Korean Intellectual Property Office, stated, “As global competition in connected car technologies intensifies, South Korea maintains a leading position in the V2X field based on its excellent 5G communication environment. Considering that 5G-V2X is a future communication technology field with high technical barriers, this is a very encouraging situation for South Korea.”

He added, “The Korean Intellectual Property Office will strive to provide high-quality examination services so that our companies’ excellent technologies can be secured through patent rights and fully developed to gain technological competitiveness.”