- The average time for partial substantive examination design granted is 1-2 months.
- The average time for substantive examination of design granted is 10-12 months.
KIPO conducts formality examination and substantive examination of utility model patent applications, but only needs to meet the standards of novelty and practicality, and does not require inventive step.
Filing Language: Korean Necessary documents:
- Exterior Design Picture (Six Views)
- A Brief Description
Attachments (if any):
- Power of Attorney
- Priority certification document and its Korean translation
- Declaration of Ownership/Certification of Employment/Assignment of priority
- Assignment for Patent Right Transfer
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- Grant fee: The applicant needs to pay the granted fee within 3 months after receiving the notification of the granted decision, and pay the annual fee for the first to third years at the same time.
- Annuity: The annual fee will be paid year by year starting from the fourth year from the filing date. The amount of the annual fee depends on the number of Claim, and the annual fee can also be paid. If the annual fee is overdue, it can be paid within the 6-month late payment period after the due date, but a 200% penalty must be paid at the same time.
A 12-month novelty grace period is available if the design is disclosed by the applicant or the applicant's agent.
If the following situations occur 12 months before the patent application/priority date by the inventor, applicant or assignee:
- By correspondence, or publicly at national or international exhibitions
Disclosure due to malicious disclosure by a third party
The novelty grace period can be enjoyed, and the applicant needs to submit corresponding evidence support when submitting the application.
20 years, and the protection can be extended to 25 years for pesticides or medicines.
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Korean Industrial Property Office
English: Korea Intellectual Property Office, abbreviation: KIPO
Website: Korean Intellectual Property Office (kipo.go.kr)
Korean Utility Model Patent Search: Integrated Search < SEARCH - KIPRIS Patent Information searching service