Source: KIPO
Date: 2011. 5. 24

-2.2 percent increase in patent applications compared to previous year-

▣ Application Trend 
- Applications for intellectual property rights during the first quarter of 2011 reached 80,868, a 0.4 percent decrease compared to the same period from the previous year.
- By type of rights, patents rose by 2.2percent and trademarks by 1.9percent, while designs decreased by 7.4 percent.
※ Utility models are continuously decreasing due to the pre-registration system and the discontinuation of the dual application system (▽ 18.6 percent). 
- By nationality, Korean applicants were reduced by 1.9 percent, while foreigners increased by 7.7 percent.
- As for patents, Korean applicants increased by 0.8 percent, and foreigners by 6.2 percent.
- By region, Chungbuk province had the highest rate of increase with 11.9 percent followed by Gangwon province with 7.0 percent.
- By countries of origin, China increased by 27.4 percent followed by Australia at 22.6 percent. 
- By applicant, conglomerates grew by 0.7 percent, while small & medium businesses decreased by 4.6 percent. Public corporations increased by 72.8 percent, and other public organizations by 26.5 percent
- Patents/utility models appear to have significantly increased in public corporations, and trademarks/designs have grown significantly in other public corporations.

▣ Registration Trend 
- Intellectual property rights registration recorded 47,215 during the first quarter of 2011, a 33.3 percent increase compared to the same period from the previous year.
- By type of rights, patents increased by 35.3 percent, followed by utility models at 19.5 percent, trademarks at 31.5 percent, and designs at 33.9 percent. 
- By nationality, Korean applicants were reduced by 34.9 percent, while foreigners increased by 29.3 percent.
- By region, Jeonnam province and Gwangju province had the highest rate of increase at 69.3 percent and 52.2 percent, respectively.
- By country of origin, Canada increased by 64.7 percent and Japan by 36.2 percent. 
- By applicant, conglomerates grew by 35.0 percent, small & medium businesses by 37.0 percent, and domestic individuals increased significantly by 33.4 percent. Registrations from foreign corporations increased by 29.8 percent.
- Applicants with the most significant rate of increase in registrations during the first quarter were Samsung Electro-Mechanics and KT in patents and utility models, Woongjin Holdings in trademarks, and Daewoo Electronics in designs.

▣ Screening & Approval Trends 
- Requests for screening reached 35,376 cases, a 1.1 percent increase in contrast to the previous year.
- Requests for patent screenings increased by 3.2 percent at 32,774 cases, while utility models reduced by 19.4 percent at 2,602 cases from the same period a year ago.
- Applications for PCT international investigations grew by 14.2 percent with 5,880 cases, while processed international investigations dropped by 4.6 percent with 4,991 cases. 
- Requests for approval rose by 4.5 percent in contrast to the previous year with 3,418 cases, and processed approvals increased by 10.9 percent with 4,027 cases.
- By type of rights, the requests for judgment of patents and utility models grew by 4.9 percent with 2,471 cases, and trademarks by 2.1 percent with 849 cases. On the other hand, designs dropped by 31.0 percent compared to the same period of the previous year with 98 cases.