Region: South Korea

An important amendment to South Korea’s Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act, which will come into effect in July 2018, clarifies that the trade dress of service providers is protected under the act.

30 April 2018

​​​​​​​Research from <em>World Trademark Review</em> reveals the political issues that counsel say could significantly impact enforcement efforts, both now and in the future.

07 April 2018

The government has indicated its intention to regulate ambush marketing by adding specific provisions to the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Act.

21 February 2018

Members from one of the most popular Korean bands in the world, T-ara, are taking legal action for rights to use the group name following a trademark application by their former <span class="ellipsis">management agency. </span>

23 January 2018

In our latest round-up, we look at a brand protection company closing a $12m investment round, an author seeking registered  protection for a steamy National Hockey League team name, and much more.

09 January 2018

The Korean National Assembly has approved an amendment to the Court Organisation Act which stipulates that the district courts in the five statutory venues for IP rights disputes.

08 January 2018

In our latest round-up, we look at the fallout from Kid Rock’s latest tour announcement, how the Korean IP Office is speaking out on behalf of domestic brands, and much more.

27 October 2017

In the first of a new series of country data reports from World Trademark Review, we identify the key trademark trends in the Korean market, consider where filing business is emanating from and highlight the performance of leading domestic brands.

06 October 2017

The Seoul Central District Court recently granted a preliminary injunction against the sale of a banana-flavoured jelly product on the grounds of dilution. The court found that the plaintiff's banana-flavoured milk product was a well-known source identifier. As such, the plaintiff had rights to its appearance even for non-milk products.

17 July 2017

Under a recently published amendment to the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act, infringers which violate the ‘dead copy’ provision of the act may be subject to imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to KRW30 million. The amendment will come into force in July 2017.

20 April 2017