New KIPO commissioner appointed

Kim, whose term begins today, had served as the deputy commissioner of KIPO under former commissioner Kim Ho-won.

The new commissioner also previously served as director-general of KIPO's Intellectual Property Policy Bureau, and was director-general of the Trade and Industrial Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy. As head of the IP Policy Bureau, he worked to promote the role of IP in the Korean economy and helped to devise and execute the country's long term IP strategies. Kim also worked to enact the IP Framework Act, which established the Presidential Council on Intellectual Property and the formulation of a five-year IP master plan.

The export-heavy Korean economy has been focusing on IP as a way for Korean firms to stay competitive in international markets. Headline-grabbing cases, such as the Apple/Samsung disputes, appear to emphasise this point. In an interview with Managing IP last year, the previous commissioner explained: “Advanced global companies are pursuing active IP strategies and using IP as a weapon to dominate markets and attack competing companies to create revenue. In the future, only companies armed with strong IP rights will survive in global competition.

Check back next week for an interview with the new head of KIPO.