Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) held a 29th bilateral Heads Meeting on November 30, 2023 in Busan, Korea, on the occasion of the Korea-China-Japan TRIPO Heads Meeting.

This year, KIPO and CNIPA’s high-level meeting took place in an in-person mode once again after 3 years of remote gathering, offering a valuable opportunity to both sides to have a productive conversation over ongoing cooperation projects.

KIPO Commissioner LEE Insil and CNIPA Commissioner SHEN Changyu complimented the concerted effort made by their training institutes to hold an information session for the enterprises doing business or wishing to do business in each other’s market. Participants have expressed their high satisfaction with the sessions, as they could learn about how the intellectual property law and legal system works in Korea or China and what key policies have been pursued by each office in response to new technologies. The Heads agreed to expand the scope and target of the training session, to help more business users do better in the market with better understanding in the local IP environment.

They also decided to resume the mutual dispatch of liaison officer which has continued until February 2020. Since its launch, the program has become one of the most effective cooperation tool to both offices, and KIPO and the CNIPA had respectively sent 13 and 27 officers to the other side under this program for different lengths of time. When dispatched, the officers served as a conduit for both sides, carrying out many important tasks, such as facilitating cooperation projects, delivering latest news and information, and supporting businesses with filing IP rights and dealing with IP disputes. The resumption is expected to add momentum to the ongoing cooperation between two sides.

Another noticeable agreement made during the meeting was on the start of cooperation on the subject of trademark trial and appeal, along with the one on patent trial and appeal. The Heads said they hoped to see an active engagement and communication to take place between KIPO and the CNIPA in the future about the protection of trademarks owned by Korean or Chinese companies at the trial-and-appeal level.

“I am very pleased to note that in this long-awaited in-person meeting, KIPO and the CNIPA reaffirmed our commitment to the cooperative relationship that has stood strong and firm during the hard times. Based on the meaningful outcomes we produced today, our two offices will make continuous efforts to give practical helps to our business users doing business in the Korean or Chinese market,” said Commissioner Lee.