KIPO gains foothold in African market


The Korean Intellectual Property Office will develop an automated patent information system for the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization, Korea’s patent office announced Thursday.

According to the KIPO, its commissioner Lee Soo-won signed a memorandum of understanding with the World Intellectual Property Organization and African Regional Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva on the sidelines of the WIPO general assembly. WIPO is a United Nations organization concerned with intellectual property issues.

ARIPO is an intergovernmental organization of 18 African nations for cooperating in patents and other intellectual property-related issues.

The MOU comes less than a year after KIPO signed an agreement of general cooperation in intellectual property-related issues with the ARIPO. The previous agreement, signed in December 2010, was formed as part of KIPO’s plans to introduce its patent information system KIPOnet to overseas markets.

KIPO then suggested a three-way technological collaboration with WIPO and ARIPO in May this year, and negotiated the details for four months before signing the MOU on Thursday.

In the projects, carried out as part of Korea’s Official Development Assistance program, KIPO will develop an automated system for managing intellectual property-related information from ARIPO members.

The Korean state-run organization will also send intellectual property automation experts and invite ARIPO officials to receive training.

“The intellectual property automation project for ARIPO will take place over two years once it begins in early 2012 after the project is confirmed as one of Korea’s Official Development Assistance project,” KIPO chief said.

“The MOU is particularly meaningful in that it provides the foundations for entering the African market for such systems, and for strengthening collaboration with African nations in intellectual property-related issues.”

The deal was also welcomed by WIPO and ARIPO officials including ARIPO director general Gift Sibanda who said that he was impressed with the efficiency of KIPO’s system.

“We expect the KIPO, which has the experience of developing KIPOnet with widely recognized efficiency, transferring its know-how will significantly contribute to the automation process of ARIPO headquarters and its 18 member nations’ intellectual property,” WIPO secretary general Francis Gurry said at the signing ceremony. He added that his organization will collaborate with KIPO in supporting the project.

Aside from the agreement with the ARIPO, the KIPO commissioner stressed the need to strengthen the operations of the WIPO as a provider of patent services at the WIPO general assembly on Monday.

“The role of the WIPO needs to be strengthened in order to make using the international intellectual property system easier and more convenient for patent seekers across the world,” Lee said in his speech.

“WIPO’s services with regards to the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the international registration of marks under the Madrid Agreement need to be stepped up.”

The Madrid Agreement is the main international system for facilitating the registration of trademarks in multiple jurisdictions.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)