The Intellectual Property Office said on the 1st that starting on the 15th it will support "ultra-fast examination" for patent/utility model and trademark applications needed for overseas expansion. Ultra-fast examination is a system that can shorten the first-round examination period by about 15 days to one month compared with general examination, and even more than prioritized examination for specific fields.
With ultra-fast examination, first-round examination results for patent/utility model and trademark applications will be provided within a month, cutting four months off the existing prioritized examination timeline (six months or longer). For trademarks, the period through final examination will be reduced from 75 days to 60 days.
By rapidly securing patents in Korea through ultra-fast examination, export corporations can secure rights quickly overseas as well, protecting key technologies more effectively. Trademark rights can also be secured simultaneously by using systems such as the "Madrid international application," under which a single filing based on a domestic application can be made in multiple countries. It is a system that recognizes the date filed in Korea as the filing date in that country when submitting to a foreign patent authority an application identical to what was filed in Korea.
Ultra-fast examination can be requested for applications related to exports among the existing prioritized examination categories. For patents/utility models, this includes export-promotion prioritized examination target technologies designated and announced by the Intellectual Property Office, such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and secondary batteries. For trademarks, eligible cases include trademark applications that are being exported or planned for export, or base applications for international applications.
Small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized companies selected within the past three years for programs conducted by the Intellectual Property Office to support exports or overseas disputes—such as the "Global IP Star Corporations Fostering Program" and the "Support Program for Patent Dispute Response Strategies"—are also eligible for ultra-fast examination.
An official at the Intellectual Property Office said, "To help secure early leads in overseas markets for advanced technologies and open a fast track for exports, we are implementing ultra-fast examinations that can complete export-oriented patent and trademark reviews within a month," adding, "We will build a system that can provide comprehensive support to export corporations, from export strategy development to securing intellectual property rights."