The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 22nd that it launched the pan-government response task force to eradicate technology theft from small and mid-sized enterprises in a joint effort with related ministries to swiftly provide relief to victimized small businesses and close gaps in the technology protection system.
The pan-government response task force is a follow-up measure to the plan to eradicate technology theft from SMEs released on Sept. 10 last year, and is a collaborative body bringing together six core ministries for technology protection, including the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, the Korea Fair Trade Commission, the Ministry of Intellectual Property, the Korean National Police Agency, and the National Intelligence Service.
Recently, technology theft targeting small and mid-sized enterprises has grown more sophisticated and varied in method, but due to less-than-smooth division of roles and information sharing among ministries, victimized SMEs have faced limits in receiving comprehensive and effective support. The pan-government response task force was launched to fundamentally resolve these issues and establish a standing inter-ministerial cooperation system.
When a technology theft case occurs, the pan-government response task force will discuss inter-ministerial coordination and role-sharing measures and link available support programs to help victimized companies recover quickly. To minimize confusion and inconvenience experienced during the processes of filing reports and applying for support programs, it also plans to review measures to introduce and operate the Small and Mid-sized Enterprise Technology Protection Ombudsman (tentative name).
In addition, during the process of revising technology protection-related laws under each ministry's purview, it will coordinate in advance issues where differences of opinion among ministries are expected, and discuss joint response strategies for systems that require simultaneous legislation across several ministries' governing statutes, such as the Korea-style discovery system. It will also identify cooperative tasks that link the technology protection capabilities and authorities held by each ministry, such as the joint use of technology protection specialists, to minimize blind spots in the technology protection system.
No Yong-seok, the first vice minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), said, "Technology is the core asset of SMEs' survival and innovation," adding, "With the launch of this pan-government response task force, we will strengthen the technology protection ecosystem for SMEs and concentrate all government capabilities so that SMEs can pursue innovative growth with confidence."