The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced Monday that it has secured a supplementary budget of 9.5 billion won ($6.6 million) to support export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises.
With this supplementary budget, KIPO will implement a national certification trademark system. Export companies can voluntarily attach the national certification trademark to their products to indicate they are authentic goods from Korean companies. Through advanced authentication technology applied to the national certification trademark, overseas consumers can instantly verify product authenticity using their smartphones. The government will be able to monitor counterfeit product distribution in real time through this system. When counterfeit products are detected, the government plans to pursue responses including on-site investigations and customs hold requests through joint efforts with relevant ministries.
KIPO has completed development of the national certification trademark and filed applications both domestically and internationally. The agency plans to fully implement the system starting in the second half of the year, including attaching the trademark to companies' export products. "We will create tangible results that can be felt on the ground through swift budget execution to protect our export SMEs suffering from the dual challenges of high oil prices and the spread of counterfeit goods," KIPO Commissioner Kim Yong-sun said.
