Patent Office "Crackdown on Counterfeit Goods of Winter Youth Olympic Mascot"

Official Mascot 'Mungcho' Counterfeit Product Crackdown During Olympics from 19th This Month to 1st Next Month

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) will conduct crackdowns on counterfeit goods related to the Olympics during the Winter Youth Olympic Games.

The KIPO Trademark Special Judicial Police (hereinafter referred to as Trademark Police) announced on the 18th that they will carry out inspections at sales sites to prevent the distribution of counterfeit goods exploiting the Winter Youth Olympic Games held in Gangwon Province from the 19th of this month to the 1st of next month.

The official mascot of the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games, 'Mungcho,' sculpture has been installed. Photo by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

The crackdown is being conducted as part of cooperation to prevent the distribution of counterfeit goods following a request from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in July last year and in collaboration with the '2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee.'

Previously, KIPO has been conducting activities such as rights verification and online pre-monitoring. During the pre-monitoring, a company attempting to illegally distribute a large sculpture of 'Mungcho' (the mascot representing a snowball shape) was caught, leading to the removal of the sales postings.

The Mungcho sculpture is used as a photo zone and is currently installed mainly in high foot traffic locations such as Seoul Station, Incheon Airport, and Gangneung Station with the approval of the Organizing Committee.

In particular, online sales of licensed products related to the Winter Youth Olympics are only conducted through online platforms partnered with the Organizing Committee. Consumers intending to purchase Olympic-related products such as items bearing the Olympic emblem and the Mungcho mascot should be cautious of counterfeit goods.

Jung In-sik, Director of the Industrial Property Protection Cooperation Bureau at KIPO, stated, “We will focus our enforcement capabilities to ensure that athletes participating in the Olympics and tourists visiting the venues to watch the games do not suffer damages from counterfeit goods.”