In the electrical and electronics field in Korea, the frequency of patent disputes continues to increase as new technologies are being introduced every day. Lee & Ko’s IP professionals have extensive technical knowledge in all IT and electronics related areas, including electronic equipment and electronic parts, computer hardware and software, semiconductor devices, display devices, mobile communications, AI, and autonomous driving. In addition, Lee & Ko’s IP team includes members who have previously served as patent examiners, IPTAB judges, Patent Court judges, technical examiners at the Patent Court, and judicial researchers at the Supreme Court.

Most notably, Lee & Ko’s patent attorneys are not limited to patent prosecution work but are also adept at work involving the entire patent life cycle in landmark "bet-the-company" cases, such as the patent infringement actions between Samsung Electronics and Apple. By leveraging these enforcement and defense capabilities in patent prosecution work, Lee & Ko is able to secure patents and utility model rights with the maximum scope of rights that can survive disputes and invalidity challenges.

More than 40% of Lee & Ko's IP professionals hold a technical or law degree from abroad, have practiced IP law in law firms overseas, or are licensed as foreign attorneys/patent attorneys, and able to provide top-notch client service at a global level. In addition, the team includes former in-house counsels and corporate leaders who have worked in multiple global companies adding to Lee & Ko’s expertise in IP prosecution, litigation and advisory work.

Expertise

Assist foreign or Korean companies with patent prosecution work

Represent clients in filing Korean patent applications with the KIPO
Respond to the KIPO’s office action, carry out registration
Submission of information by third parties
Translate specification
Consult with inventor(s), draft Korean or foreign specification
Advise a client of response to an office action by an overseas patent office

Represent clients in patent disputes

Patent cancellation proceeding at the IPTAB
Patent invalidation action, scope confirmation action at the IPTAB
Support patent infringement action

Counseling and other services

Transfer of patent rights and license registration
Review possibility of registration of an IP right for newly developed technologies
Prior art research (including searching for patent invalidation materials)
Prepare patent map to provide direction on product development and predict likelihood of dispute
Freedom to operate (FTO) search
Provide consultation on establishing patent portfolio
Analyze competitor’s patent trends, or patent trends in specific technical fields