Source : KIPO
Date   : Dec. 10, 2009

To reinforce the competitiveness of small and medium services by supporting them in their efforts to obtain brands, the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO, Commissioner: Jung-Sik Koh) plans to provide brand education, development support, management consulting, etc together with the Korea Restaurant Association (KRA), the Korea Association of Hakwon (KAOH), and the Korea Design Firms Association (KODFA) to related staff members and employees. 

Small and medium services are a very important economic subject, accounting for 99.8% (based on the number of enterprises) of the service industry. Of particular note, the restaurant, private institute and design businesses account for a substantial portion of employment and growth. 

However, the recognition level toward trademark rights in these businesses is low, causing many disputes within the industries. (Businesses with many disputes: Restaurant/lodging business, education business, design business, entertainment/service business)

Compared with other businesses in the service industry, the registration rate (60.4%) of the three businesses mentioned above lag by roughly 8%, raising ongoing arguments that the reinforcement of competitiveness is necessary through the obtaining of brands. (Business with high registration rate in the service industry: Construction/repair/processing/transportation (68.3%).

To support the obtaining of brands, KIPO will first develop an 'Intellectual Property Right Portal Site' for the homepages of the three businesses, so that visitors can see information related to trademark application and registration at a glance. What is more, by encouraging the businesses to use the 'Electronic application system' and the 'Public patent attorney consultation center,' KIPO plans to provide easy legal service during applications and disputes. Round-trip education and guidebooks on the trademark system will also be provided to the related staff and employees, so that they can increase their recognition level on the necessity of obtaining trademark rights. KIPO will encourage the application of brands with the potential of being registered, as well as the proper management of registered brands. 

Companies selected as the subject of the 'SME Brand Consulting Project (2010: 1.6 billion KRW (1.4 million USD))' will be granted funds to develop and apply brands, as well as consulting on brand management. 

A KIPO official commented, "This service has a political distinction since the education, development, and management consulting on brands are provided in a one-stop process. We expect the competitiveness of businesses which suffer from weak brands, such as the restaurant business, will improve greatly. Based on the results of the service, we are planning to expand the scope of businesses receiving benefits."