“A Leap for Productive Finance”... Ministry of Intellectual Property and Financial Services Commission to Host 8th IP Finance Forum

[Financial News] The Ministry of Intellectual Property and the Financial Services Commission will co-host the 8th Intellectual Property (IP) Finance Forum (IPFF) on the 12th at the Sapphire Ballroom of The Grand Lotte Seoul in Jung District, Seoul, to discuss ways to drive national innovation-led growth through IP finance.
 About 170 people will attend the forum, held under the theme “The Era of Productive Finance, a New Leap for Intellectual Property Finance,” including Deputy Minister Jeong Yeon-woo of the Ministry of Intellectual Property and representatives from banks, investment institutions, guarantee institutions, invention evaluation institutions and related companies.
 Launched in 2019 and held annually since, the Intellectual Property Finance Forum is a key channel for dialogue where government and financial-sector experts gather to review current issues in intellectual property (IP) finance and gather input on future policy directions. This year, in particular, it will focus on reexamining the role of IP finance amid the nationwide shift toward productive finance, and surveying IP finance trends and leading practices in major countries.
 In a keynote address that day, the Ministry of Intellectual Property will present its policy direction under the theme “The Role of IP Finance in Expanding Productive Finance.” Domestic and international experts will then share strategies for banks to enhance technology analysis and business operations following the major shift to productive finance; ways to use IP finance and valuation to promote regional innovation-led growth; the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) policies to promote IP finance; trends among U.S. IP monetization firms (NPEs) and their implications; and methodologies for IP valuation for damages.
 The Financial Services Commission plans to strengthen its role in directing financial resources to productive sectors such as advanced industries and innovative companies, while continuing to work with the Ministry of Intellectual Property so that companies’ technologies and intellectual property can meet capital and become growth engines.
 “IP finance is a leading form of productive finance that provides funding throughout the entire corporate growth cycle, from nurturing early-stage companies to scaling up and pre-IPO investment,” Deputy Minister Jeong Yeon-woo of the Ministry of Intellectual Property said. “We will strengthen cooperation with financial authorities and the financial sector to build an ecosystem in which the value of intellectual property is fairly assessed and leads to smooth financing.”
 Meanwhile, South Korea’s intellectual property (IP) finance market—which includes collateralized loans, guarantees and investments—has been growing explosively year after year and is on track to reach a scale of several trillion won. In particular, it is seen as having become the only avenue for early-stage startups and venture companies that lack real estate or a solid financial track record to secure funding by leveraging their core patents, and as a key safety net helping technology-based companies avoid the threat of collapse.
[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter