IPO to Build a Growth Model Where Ideas Become 'Money'

"We will establish a new growth model in which everyday ideas from the public create economic value with government support."

On December 17, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) announced four major strategies and detailed tasks containing this vision during the presidential work report held at the Government Sejong Convention Center. The core goal is to lay the foundation for the public and the nation to take a leap forward by using intellectual property as both a spear and a shield.

Kim Yongseon, Director of the Intellectual Property Office, is briefing on related matters at the Government Daejeon Complex after completing the presidential work report on the 17th. Photo by Jeong Ilwoong

First, the IPO will support the acquisition of core artificial intelligence (AI) technologies through intellectual property big data and help ensure that acquired technologies can be rapidly secured as rights through AI-based examination. This means accelerating the process of securing intellectual property rights (IP) so that they can effectively protect core technologies.

To this end, the IPO plans to support efficient AI technology development by analyzing core AI patents and building an "AI Patent Strategy Map" to present industrial strategies.

Additionally, by 2029, the IPO aims to reduce the examination waiting period to around 10 months for patents (currently 16.2 months as of November this year) and around 6 months for trademarks (currently 12.7 months as of November this year). The agency will also gradually expand the scope of ultra-fast examination to include advanced technology fields such as AI and advanced biotechnology, thereby supporting the rapid acquisition of rights.

The IPO is also focusing on creating conditions that allow intellectual property to move beyond grand concepts and originate from everyday ideas. The "Everyone's Idea Project" is a representative example. This project aims to develop solutions to challenges faced by businesses, society, and the public sector, so that everyday ideas can evolve into marketable intellectual property and be linked to national policies and research and development.

Through these efforts, the IPO envisions a growth model in which the public's everyday ideas, combined with government support, generate new economic value.

Support for the protection of intellectual property will also be strengthened. The IPO will detect risks of national strategic technology leaks early using patent information and will enhance technological security capabilities based on its expertise, such as by establishing a special investigation team within the technology police to address overseas leaks of advanced technology.

In particular, the IPO plans to prepare and implement response measures for intellectual property infringement, including domestic and international IP disputes, centering on the newly established "Intellectual Property Dispute Response Bureau" (dedicated to dispute response).

To protect K-brand export companies, the IPO will newly operate the "IP Dispute Doctor" service, which preemptively diagnoses dispute risks in industries where trademark infringement is frequent, such as food, beauty, and fashion. The agency will also build an AI-based "Trademark Preemption Alert System."

The IPO will establish the "Intellectual Property Dispute Crisis Response Center," which will oversee the reporting and consultation of IP disputes, and will integrate related functions into the "Intellectual Property Legal Support Center" to provide a one-stop support system, making it easier for the public to resolve disputes. These measures were also included in the work report.

In addition, starting next year, the IPO will establish a region-specific intellectual property support system to provide tailored growth strategies. The agency will commercialize products based on local cultural heritage unique to each region by combining them with intellectual property and will discover "regional representative K-brands" such as traditional markets and specialty products, helping them grow into premium brands and thereby creating new growth engines for local communities.

Kim Yongseon, Director of the Intellectual Property Office, stated, "The IPO is an institution that encompasses both 'knowledge' and 'assets.' Next year, the IPO's work will focus on supporting our economy so that the public's ideas and knowledge can become solid assets for a new leap forward."