Patent Trial and Appeal Board Publishes Revised Edition of 'Trial Manual'... "Available for Individuals and Companies"

Referee Manual Includes Revised Laws and Court Precedents
Available for Download and Use on the Patent Trial and Appeal Board Website

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board announced on the 14th that it has published and released the revised edition (14th edition) of the "Trial Manual." The Trial Manual is used as an essential practical guide for trial work.

Above all, the Trial Manual contains the procedures and judgment criteria for trials in the fields of patents, utility models, trademarks, and designs, making it useful for individuals, companies, and agents facing patent disputes.

Cover of the revised edition of the Trial Manual. Provided by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board

The revised edition reflects institutional improvements such as amended laws over the past three years and changes in practical practices, and newly includes recent court rulings and precedents.

Institutional improvements include detailed descriptions of procedures and methods related to newly introduced specialized technical advisors, trial-mediation linkage, and the principle of timely submission.

It also incorporates revisions related to oral hearings, trial case briefings, evidence investigation, priority and expedited trials.

Additionally, practical guidelines for the operation of special trial divisions and the advance notice system for decision dates have been added for active use in trial practice, along with an introduction to major recent court rulings and precedents that should be reflected in trials.

The revised Trial Manual will be distributed to related organizations of the Korean Intellectual Property Office and the Korean Patent Attorneys Association, and the general public can download and use it through the Patent Trial and Appeal Board website.

Park Jong-joo, President of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, said, “The Trial Manual serves as a kind of guideline for practitioners such as trial examiners and agents, guiding trial procedures and examination standards, and is a useful reference for parties during the trial process. We hope the revised Trial Manual will internally strengthen the expertise of trial examiners and serve as a resource that enhances predictability of trials for the public.”