Kim & Chang

Kim & Chang's Intellectual Property (IP) Practice is the top rated IP specialized practice in Korea, and uniquely combines our recognized expertise in IP with the resources of Korea's leading general practice law firm. Our IP Practice boasts the deepest and most experienced roster of IP attorneys, patent attorneys, former Patent Court Judges, foreign attorneys, and technical specialists in Korea.
As one of the largest general practice law firms in Asia and with a wealth of knowledge gleaned from handling many of the most important IP cases in Korea over the past 49 years, Kim & Chang is able to offer comprehensive legal solutions for all your IP and IP related needs.

With over 350 professionals including IP litigators, patent attorneys and foreign IP attorneys, and over 550 patent engineers, trademark paralegals, and support staff, we cover the full scope of IP rights. Our patent professionals have specialized technical backgrounds in numerous fields, including biotech, pharmaceuticals, chemistry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science. Many of our professionals also have extensive experience as judges, prosecutors, or Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) examiners, and their experience and know-how is invaluable in obtaining positive results for our clients. We work closely with other practice groups within the firm, including general corporate law, mergers & acquisitions, competition law and customs, in order to advise our clients on any IP-related legal issue they may encounter in Korea.

The following is an exemplary list of services provided by the patent group:

• Patent infringement litigation and pre-assertion due diligence;
• IP Trial and Appeal Board litigation (invalidity and scope confirmation actions);
• IP arbitration (domestic and international);
• Antitrust and fair trade violations arising out of IP-related matters;
• Domestic patent prosecution (preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications before KIPO);
• Foreign patent prosecution (preparing patent applications and preparing responses to office actions in foreign jurisdictions);
• Prior art searching (for litigation and licensing);
• Patent infringement and validity opinions;
• Freedom-to-operate opinions (for product clearance);
• Patentability opinions;
• Disputes arising out of patent agreements;
• Assignment of patent rights;
• Joint development, ownership and exploitation agreements;
• Patent and technology licensing;
• Patent portfolio development via indigenous innovation, patent acquisition or divestment projects;
• Employment contract disputes concerning patents;
• US litigation support, including pretrial discovery document review and deposition support (e.g., by attorneys admitted to US bars); and Patent Due diligence.

Key IP Areas
Copyright & related rights, Designs, Intellectual property (contentious), Intellectual property (prosecution), IP transactions, ITC litigation, Life sciences IP, Patent, Patent contentious, Patent prosecution, PTAB litigation, Trade mark, Trade mark contentious, Trade mark prosecution

Key Sector Expertise
Aerospace, Advertising, Agriculture, Artificial intelligence, Arts, Automotive, Biotechnology, Chemical, Computer technology & services, Construction & materials, Defence, Aerospace, E-commerce, Electrical, Electronics, Fashion & luxury goods, Film, Financial services, FMCG, Food & beverage, Furniture, Hospitality & leisure, ICT & software, Gaming, Industrials, Instruments, Life sciences, Internet, Logistics, Manufacturing, Mechanical, Media, Medical device, Mining, Music, Nanotechnology, Not-for-profit, Oil & gas, Optics & photonics, Pharmaceutical, Professional services, Publishing, Real estate, Renewable energy, Retail, Robotics, Semiconductors, Sports, Telecommunication, Tobacco, Technology hardware, Transport, Universities & research, Utilities