A pan-government integrated reporting window will be set up to respond to technology theft damages affecting small and medium-sized enterprises and to strengthen cooperation among agencies.
The Pan-Government Task Force to Eradicate Technology Theft from Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, composed of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, and the Korea Fair Trade Commission, said on the 26th it will hold a launch ceremony and roundtable for the technology theft hotline.
The technology theft hotline for small and medium-sized enterprises is a joint, cross-ministerial reporting and counseling window where victimized corporations can receive prompt support. It is the first collaborative outcome of the pan-government task force launched in January.
Until now, reporting and counseling windows related to technology infringement were run separately by each ministry, causing confusion for victimized corporations. The government plans to build a one-stop support system through the hotline platform that can handle reporting and counseling, applications for support programs, and links to investigations and probes.
At the roundtable, government ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Korea Fair Trade Commission, the Ministry of Intellectual Property, and the Korean National Police Agency, together with small and medium-sized enterprise associations, experts, and small and medium-sized enterprises and other private-sector stakeholders, gathered to share achievements and cases related to technology protection since the launch of the new administration and discussed improvement plans for expert and corporate policy recommendations.
Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said, "We will pool all pan-government capabilities to eradicate technology theft to establish a fair market order where the technology of small and medium-sized enterprises is protected."
Ju Biung-ghi, chair of the Korea Fair Trade Commission, noted, "We will continue to strengthen law enforcement to eradicate technology theft in cooperation with relevant ministries," adding, "We will swiftly push institutional improvements such as tougher sanctions on offending corporations and easing the burden of proof for victimized corporations."
Kim Yong-seon, head of the Ministry of Intellectual Property, emphasized, "Preventing technology leaks is an issue that goes beyond any specific corporation and is directly connected to the innovation capacity of our economy and its future growth engines," adding, "We will work with a strong sense of mission to build a country where free-riding and technology theft no longer work."