Ministry of SMEs and Startups Collaborates with Supreme Prosecutors' Office to Counter SME Technology Infringement

Technology Dispute Mediation Link
Fast Track Operation for Technology Leakage Investigation

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 26th that it will promote collaboration with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to respond to technology infringement in small and medium enterprises by linking technology dispute mediation, operating a fast track for criminal investigations of technology leakage, and connecting damage amount support projects.

First, the 'linkage of technology dispute mediation' is a method where the prosecution refers technology infringement cases to the Technology Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Committee under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and the committee attempts to mediate between the parties involved. If mediation is established, it has the effect of a judicial settlement, increasing the possibility of resolving disputes quickly and smoothly.

The 'fast track for criminal investigations of technology leakage' is a system where the Ministry of SMEs and Startups reports technology infringement cases to the Investigation Support Center of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, which then directly assigns the cases to the relevant prosecution offices. Through this, small and medium enterprises suffering from technology infringement can reduce the hassle of reporting directly to investigative agencies, and immediate investigation initiation is expected to be possible.

Additionally, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to provide the results calculated through the 'damage amount calculation support project' to the prosecution to assist in sentencing decisions. Currently, 50% of the calculation fee is basically supported, but for cases linked with the prosecution, an additional 20 percentage points will be preferentially supported.

Kim Woo-soon, Director of Technology Innovation Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, “We hope that small and medium enterprises experiencing technology infringement can receive prompt relief through collaboration with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.”.