Source: KIPO
Date: 2009-07-17 
  
Soon, all information concerning personal intellectual property rights (IPRs), such as the progress after filing a patent application, registration information, judgment information, etc, will be conveniently verified and managed. 

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO, Commissioner: Jung-Sik Koh) announced that the office has started expanding its web site (www.kiporo.go.kr), which has been operated focusing mainly on online applications, into a patent information management portal (tentatively named 'PatentRo 2.0') since last May. Normal services of the newly-expanded web site are slated to start in December this year. 

To date, large enterprises or patent law firms, which file many patent applications and have sufficient financial resources, established patent management systems of their own, or purchased patent management S/W. In contrast, private inventors and SMEs with fewer resources had to depend on the patent information provided limitedly by PatentRo, facing difficulties in generally managing their IPRs such as submitting documents with deadlines, paying fees, etc. 

The expanded PatentRo 2.0 focuses on realizing user-oriented patent management functions, considering the varied conditions of users. Through the 'Storage box for my patents (tentative name),' users including individuals, companies, attorneys, etc who log into PatentRo are provided with a brief list of all patent information of each user, such as the progress of their applications, information on registration/judgment, etc. 

Additionally, users can process patent information as needed and manage a 'To-do' list through numerous arranging options including information for each type of rights (patents, trademarks, etc), information for each type of procedures (application, registration, judgment, etc), information on deadlines (documents, fees, etc), information for each type of user (applicants, attorneys, etc) and so on. 

By clicking the list pertaining to the information on each patent in question, users are able to reference detailed information as well as background information. In addition, they can immediately take care of following works such as submitting documents, paying fees, applying for certificates, etc from the list screen or the detailed information screen. 

The patent information in the 'Storage box for my patents' can be downloaded as a form of web service or various formats of electronic documents, such as Excel, to allow them be used for the patent management system of each user or as the input format for patent management S/W. PatentRo 2.0 also secures an array of simple-to-use functions to allow novice applicants understand the patent procedure easily and file online applications. Moreover, the functions of Web 2.0 such as developing blogs, communities, etc, are adapted to patent information to create a common space where users can share recent patent information and trends. 

The users of PatentRo can enjoy 'blog environments' connected to personal patent information, as well as other convenient functions such as bulletin boards, schedule books, widgets, etc. They can also take and use information provided by KIPO, such as political announcements, news, patent reports on the field of interest, patent knowledge, etc. 

After going through a 'Users' bull session,' which will take place between July and August, PatentRo 2.0 will be launched on December. The expanded web site will be developed by fully reflecting the opinions of users in order to maximize convenience.