KOTEC Expands Technology Protection Support to Include Public Technologies

Measures to Prevent Technology Theft of R&D Know-how
at Public Research Institutions and Others

On July 2, Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KOTEC) announced that it would expand the scope of its 'Technology Escrow (Technology Keeper)' and 'TTRS (Evidence Keeper)' programs, which are operated to protect the technologies of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to include public research institutions, university-industry cooperation foundations, and technology holding companies.

The Technology Escrow program allows SMEs to deposit their technological and managerial trade secrets with KOTEC to safeguard against potential leaks. This enables them to prove ownership in the event of disputes such as technology leakage. The TTRS service supports the registration of materials exchanged during business collaborations and negotiations?such as technology transactions, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and joint research and development (R&D)?to prevent technology theft and to provide legal evidence in case of disputes.

Since being designated as a technology escrow institution in January 2019, KOTEC has operated these two programs based on its technology protection platform 'TechSafe.' To date, KOTEC has signed more than 11,400 cumulative technology escrow contracts, helping SMEs prevent technology leakage in advance and taking the lead in establishing a fair technology transaction culture.

While KOTEC had previously operated its technology protection programs mainly for SMEs, this latest improvement expands the scope to include public technologies, thereby significantly strengthening the level of technology protection. As a result, KOTEC expects to address blind spots in technology protection and to prevent technology theft of R&D know-how from public research institutions in advance.

Kim Jongho, Chairman of KOTEC, stated, "As a comprehensive support institution for technology protection, KOTEC has continuously worked to prevent technology theft in advance and to establish technology protection programs in the field." He added, "This improvement reflects the nature of technology protection, where prevention is more important than post-incident support." Kim further remarked, "Going forward, we will strengthen the trust foundation of the technology innovation ecosystem through a comprehensive technology protection system that encompasses both the public and private sectors."