The KIPO Celebrated The Opening Of The North Gyeonggi Intellectual Property Center
17 December 2012
The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) celebrated the opening of the North Gyeonggi Intellectual Property Center on March 8. Based at the North Gyeonggi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NGCCI), the centre aims to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province to create and utilize intellectual property rights.
The centre’s comprehensive consultation services on patent-related information will benefit SMEs in the northern Gyeonggi region. They are expected to help enhance the patent capabilities of SMEs, expand the R&D infrastructure of technological innovation and promote a greater level of inventiveness among regional companies and individuals.
The consultations will assist regional SMEs with the entire patenting process, from setting the R&D direction to acquiring and commercializing intellectual property rights. More specifically, the consulting services will offer expert advice on three main areas: how to analyze and utilize patent information from a comprehensive perspective, how to benefit from patented technology research pertaining to the region’s competitive industries, and how to deal with patent disputes. The centre will also provide funding support for patent application fees and the manufacture of prototypes.
The new centres brings Korea’s number of regional IP centres to 31.
“In the past, tangible assets such as land and capital served as a source of competitiveness,” said a KIPO official at the opening ceremony. “But in today’s knowledge-based economy, competitiveness is determined by intangible, knowledge-based assets, such as patents, brands and designs.”
