The patent application review period for the bio sector will be shortened to 2 months.
The Korean Intellectual Property Office announced on the 10th that it has established four divisions specializing in reviews for the bio industry and restructured one division, creating a dedicated review organization for the bio sector with a total of five divisions and 120 personnel.
The bio sector is gaining attention as a national advanced strategic technology and a core growth engine for the future. A small number of excellent patents can enable product commercialization and revenue generation, and it possesses characteristics that allow for long-term market dominance. In the past five years, patent applications in the domestic bio sector have also increased by an average of 8.2% annually.
In response, the Korean Intellectual Property Office hired 35 private bio experts as patent examiners in February and designated the bio sector as a priority review target. Additionally, this newly established dedicated review organization aims to assist bio corporations in securing patents reliably.
A total of 120 bio examiners have been assigned to the newly launched 'biobased review division,' 'bio diagnosis analysis review team,' 'bio drug review team,' 'healthcare devices review team,' and 'healthcare data review team.' This includes the 35 newly hired private experts and the 85 bio examiners previously in each review bureau, consolidated into the dedicated review organization.
Korean Intellectual Property Office Commissioner Kim Wan-ki noted, 'With this organizational establishment, the support system for patent review personnel, institutions, and organizational aspects related to the four major national advanced strategic technologies, including semiconductors, displays, and secondary batteries, is now complete in the bio sector.' He expressed hope that this support would serve as a foundation for our corporations to gain an advantage in the global market based on excellent technologies.