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DPMA strengthens cooperation with Korean partner office

DPMA President Eva Schewior and KIPO Commissioner Kim Wan Ki sign agreement in Munich - Korean patent applications in key technologies increasing considerably - KIPO Commissioner informs about use of AI-related applications

DPMA President Eva Schewior and Vice-President Dr Maria Skottke-Klein met the Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), Kim Wan Ki, for a professional exchange in Munich on 30 April. It was already the second meeting of the two heads within one year; this highlights the close and cooperative relationship between the two offices. The discussion focused on looking at figures and application trends, but also on current topics such as the use of AI in patent procedures, the examination guidelines for AI-related inventions and the further development of cooperation.

President Schewior stressed the growing relevance of the Republic of Korea in the field of digitisation and battery technology. Korean companies such as Samsung and LG are driving the progress in these sectors. In the past years, Korean patent applications for the German market increased considerably. A recent DPMA analysis has shown that, for the most important digital technologies, the DPMA and the EPO jointly published 12.8% more Korean applications in 2024 than in the previous year. This is by far the largest rise among the five countries with most applications filed in this area. The rise in battery technology is similarly strong.

For patent applications related to artificial intelligence, the Korean office applies an accelerated examination. The measures of KIPO were described in detail by Commissioner Kim during the talks. Commissioner Kim also stressed KIPO's interest in further extending the cooperation between the two offices in various fields.

Another topic was the resumption of the patent examiner exchange, which will begin this year with a visit of patent examiners of KIPO to the DPMA. The exchange is planned for experts not only from the patent area but also from other areas, such as information technology.

The future joint activities of the two offices were concerted ahead of the meeting and formulated in a memorandum of understanding (MoU). With their signature, the two heads affirmed their intention to optimise the user services and to intensify the regular exchange of information.

Picture: DPMA

Last updated: 22 May 2025