“Korea to share its advanced design examination know-how with Uzbekistan”

[Financial News] The Ministry of Intellectual Property will share Korea’s advanced design examination know-how with examiners in Uzbekistan, stepping up efforts to strengthen intellectual property (IP) cooperation with Central Asia.
The International Intellectual Property Training Institute under the Ministry of Intellectual Property announced on the 25th that it will offer the “Uzbekistan-Tailored Practical Design Examination Training Course” online from the 27th to the 30th for design examiners in Uzbekistan and those involved in related work.
The training was designed to strengthen the intellectual property capabilities of Uzbek examiners and expand cooperation between the two countries in the field of intellectual property. It is particularly significant as the first concrete follow-up cooperation project under the “Memorandum of Understanding on Comprehensive Cooperation in the Field of Intellectual Property” signed by the Ministry of Intellectual Property and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Justice in connection with the first Korea–Central Asia Summit, held on the 16th of last month.
The course’s instructors include leading experts in their respective fields, including ministry officials, patent attorneys and professors. The practical, work-focused curriculum covers an introduction to Korea’s design system; the Hague Agreement and the practical aspects of filing and registration; changes in the classification of design products in an era of converging technology and design; design search methods and examination practices; and analysis of domestic and international cases of design infringement and imitation, among other topics that can be applied immediately in the workplace.
In particular, the practical training on the Hague Agreement is expected to provide tangible assistance to Uzbekistan’s intellectual property authorities. The Hague System is an international application system that allows designs to be registered simultaneously in multiple countries with a single application. Sharing Korea’s operational experience and examination know-how is expected to help Uzbekistan align more quickly with international standards and ultimately provide a foundation for greater compatibility between the two countries’ design application and examination procedures.
The Ministry of Intellectual Property expects the training to help further strengthen intellectual property protection systems across Central Asia and have a positive effect on protecting the design rights of Korean companies operating in the region and creating a stable business environment for them.
Song Seong-heon, director of the Ministry of Intellectual Property’s International Intellectual Property Training Institute, said, “This course is a meaningful opportunity to share Korea’s advanced design examination system and know-how on using the Hague System following the signing of the MOU in connection with the Korea–Central Asia Summit. We will continue active exchanges with Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan, and sustain effective cooperation in intellectual property education.”
[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter