IP agency strengthens public-private system to protect K-brands

The government and private sector have built a joint cooperation system to respond swiftly to online intellectual property infringement and strengthen protections for K-brands.

The Intellectual Property Protection Agency held the "K-Brand Protection Conference" on Wednesday at the Grand Mercure Imperial Palace Seoul Gangnam Hotel with about 30 platform companies from Korea and abroad.

The conference was designed to deepen cooperation among the government, industry associations and businesses in protecting K-brands, and to build a field-driven protection ecosystem.

About 200 people were expected to attend, including Jung Yeon-woo, deputy minister of the Intellectual Property Protection Agency, and Shin Sang-gon, head of the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Institute. Also attending were associations and organizations participating in the K-Brand Protection Public-Private Council, the Korea Consumer Agency, and institutions involved in AI-based authentication support. Key events at the conference included opening an "Online IP Infringement Response Hotline" to swiftly address intellectual property infringement occurring online in Korea, awarding citations to individuals and organizations that contributed to K-brand protection, and signing memorandums of understanding with new associations, including the Korea Sports Industry Association and the Korea Animation Industry Association.

Going forward, the Intellectual Property Protection Agency, the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Institute and the Korea Consumer Agency will take the lead, working closely with trademark holders from about 30 brands — including Gudai Global, The Founders, LG H&H, ELCA Korea and COSRX, cosmetics maker Have & Be, health supplement maker Yuhan, and toy makers Roi Visual and Sanrio Korea, which produce toys for infants and children — along with major domestic and overseas platform operators, to build an ecosystem for selling authentic goods on online marketplaces.

In keynote presentations, officials introduced the achievements of the K-Brand Protection Public-Private Council and an AI-based authentication support project. They also shared the results of overseas K-brand protection efforts, including blocking counterfeit products sold online abroad, an in-depth investigation into the unauthorized preemptive registration of Korean trademarks overseas, and the "K-Brand Guardian" service, which provides early alerts on similar trademark applications filed abroad. The session also covered measures to counter hallyu free-riding overseas and outlined key changes under China's newly revised trademark law, which is set to take effect in 2027.

The venue also hosted a range of side events, including a side-by-side exhibit comparing genuine and counterfeit versions of frequently faked products, hands-on demonstrations of AI-based authentication support, a reporting center event for fake K-brand products, and screenings of award-winning short-form videos from a joint campaign contest run by the K-Brand Protection Public-Private Council.

"As the global popularity of K-brands grows, intellectual property infringement such as counterfeit products and unauthorized trademark registration is also becoming more diverse," said Jung Yeon-woo, deputy minister of the Intellectual Property Protection Agency. "We will expand public-private cooperation with businesses, associations, organizations and online platforms, and actively use new technologies such as AI, to strengthen the K-brand protection system so that our export companies can grow with confidence in overseas markets," he added.