Region: South Korea

Late last year the Korea Customs Service issued an announcement regarding important proposed amendments to the IP rights protection guidelines. This update reviews the amendments which may have the greatest impact on brand owners.

14 January 2019

According to a report recently published by the Korea Customs Service, there were 7,263 customs seizures of counterfeit goods in 2017 – a 26% decrease compared to 2016.

30 November 2018

In an exclusive interview, the tobacco giant's Manager of Illicit Trade Prevention talks to WTR about the importance of anti-counterfeiting efforts as the company transitions to a smoke-free future.

18 October 2018

Owners of marks not currently active in South Korea should take note of data recently published by the Korean Intellectual Property Office, which showed that the number of non-use cancellation actions has significantly increased in recent years.

16 October 2018

South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has revealed that the “trademark usage fees” of the country’s largest chaebols (conglomerates) exceeded W1 trillion ($884.5 million) last year – the first time that monetary barrier has been broken.

08 October 2018

In our latest round-up, we look at the US brands with the most loyal customers, 7-Eleven taking a menswear brand to court for alleged trademark infringement, and much more.

14 September 2018

In a notable decision, Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that the mark AMERICAN UNIVERSITY was sufficiently distinctive among South Korean consumers to be registered in connection with university education services.

05 September 2018

In our latest round-up, we look at a call to boycott a Hawaiian food chain over trademark enforcement, an analysis of cutting-edge technologies being developed in the fight against counterfeit food, and much more.

10 August 2018

Following a lengthy investigation, the Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office has issued criminal felony indictments against the individual founders of several Korean franchise businesses, charging them with breaches of trust.

25 June 2018

The Global Illicit Trade Environment Index scores 84 economies on the extent that they enable or prevent illicit trade. The report contains useful insights on the anti-counterfeiting landscape.

08 June 2018