Centered on South Korea's key industries such as semiconductors and digital communications, there is a growing trend of domestic companies filing patents overseas. This is interpreted as the result of companies recognizing the global supply chain restructuring process not as a crisis but as an 'opportunity,' and meticulously establishing and executing patent strategies accordingly.
According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) on the 16th, the total number of patents filed by domestic companies in major foreign countries (based on the issuance of priority certificates) in the first half of this year reached 29,271, marking a 25.5% increase compared to 23,322 in the first half of last year.
The main countries for patent filings include the United States, China, and Europe.
Among them, the United States accounted for 14,800 patent filings in the first half of this year, representing 50.6% of all overseas patent applications. This was followed by China with 8,827 filings (30.2%) and Europe with 2,118 filings (7.2%).
However, compared to the first half of last year, the highest growth rate in patent filings this year was in India at 1,795%, followed by Taiwan (31.5%), China (29.8%), and the United States (22.2%).
Overseas Patent Application Status of Our Company in the First Half of 2023. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office.
KIPO analyzes that the high growth rate of patent filings in foreign countries reflects domestic companies' efforts to expand into third countries while simultaneously increasing patent filings in those countries. This suggests that companies are seeking export breakthroughs by securing patent rights overseas.
Supporting this, the Korea Customs Service's report on the trade balance by country shows that South Korea's largest trade surplus partner is the United States, followed by Vietnam in second place, and India in fourth.
From January to May, the trade surplus by country was recorded as follows: ▲United States $14.283 billion ▲Vietnam $9.942 billion ▲Hong Kong $7.074 billion ▲India $4.455 billion ▲T?rkiye $3.316 billion.
This strengthens the analysis that South Korea's patent filing target countries are expanding from the traditional focus on the United States and China to third countries such as India and Vietnam, and that South Korea's export destinations are changing in the same direction as patent filings.
Kim Ki-beom, Director of the Industrial Property Information Bureau at KIPO, evaluated, "Despite increasing global economic uncertainties, the rise in overseas patent filings by domestic companies, especially in export-driven industries like semiconductors, is very positive."
He added, "KIPO plans to actively strengthen and promote various support policies tailored to local overseas conditions to support the overseas activities of domestic export companies."
Meanwhile, patent filings increased not only overseas but also domestically in the first half of this year. The total number of patents filed domestically was about 107,000, a 4.1% increase compared to the first half of last year, according to KIPO's data.
By technology sector, export-driven industries showed increased patent filings: ▲Semiconductors (4,406 filings, up 16.2%) ▲Digital communication and information transmission (3,651 filings, up 18.9%) ▲Electrical machinery, energy, and secondary battery manufacturing (5,581 filings, up 6.1%).
On the other hand, sectors such as ▲E-commerce intermediary transactions (4,689 filings, down 6.1%) ▲Transportation and electric vehicle control (2,889 filings, down 7.8%) ▲Organic fine chemicals and cosmetics formulations (1,865 filings, down 7.0%) saw a decrease.
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