Special judicial police post strong H1 results in core technology protection, design rights and counterfeit crackdowns
South Korea's Intellectual Property Agency posted notable gains in the first half of this year, with referrals of technology-crime suspects — including patent, utility model, trade secret and design infringement cases — and counterfeit-distribution offenses rising sharply.
The agency said it conducted intensive investigations into intellectual property crimes, including technology theft and counterfeit distribution, during the first half of this year, referring a total of 347 suspects to prosecutors — a 32 percent increase from 262 in the same period a year earlier.
Technology crimes
In technology-crime cases, the agency referred 161 suspects to prosecutors, up 33 percent from 121 in the same period last year. Design infringement cases recorded the steepest rise, surging 137 percent from 27 to 64 suspects, while patent and utility model infringement cases climbed 16 percent from 38 to 44.
Particularly notable was a January operation in which the agency worked closely with the National Intelligence Service and prosecutors to detect and preempt an attempt to leak national core technology — including solid-state battery development data — overseas, resulting in the detention of a foreign national. In February, investigators analyzed roughly 23,000 pages of case records compiled over about a year in connection with an eyewear imitation case, securing the first-ever detention of a suspect in a product-form imitation case and preserving 7.8 billion won ($5.69 million) in criminal proceeds for confiscation.
Counterfeit crimes
In counterfeit-crime cases, the agency referred 186 suspects to prosecutors, up 32 percent from 141 in the same period last year. It also seized a total of 44,482 counterfeit items with an authentic retail value of 61.98 billion won.
Reflecting the surge in foreign tourists amid the global spread of K-culture, the agency intensified crackdowns on counterfeit goods in shopping districts frequented by international visitors. As a result, it detected vendors selling counterfeit products to foreign tourists in January, seizing 3,702 items with an authentic retail value of 18.2 billion won and referring the suspects to prosecutors.
The agency also moved aggressively against the distribution of counterfeits tied to hallyu content such as K-pop merchandise, seizing more than 27,000 counterfeit items — including merchandise bearing the names of BTS and other K-pop stars — over February and March.
IP crime case intake
Intellectual property crimes have continued to rise year after year, and that trend persisted this year. The number of suspects in cases received during the first half of this year reached 470, up 21 percent from 388 in the same period last year.
In technology theft and trade secret cases, the total number of suspects jumped 180 percent from 15 to 42, and the average number of suspects per case more than doubled from 1.7 to 3.5. This suggests that technology theft and misappropriation crimes are becoming increasingly organized and sophisticated amid intensifying global competition for technology.
In counterfeit crimes, complaints and accusations filed by rights holders — up 198 percent from 47 to 140 cases — far outpaced growth in tip-off reports, which rose just 6 percent from 70 to 74. The agency interpreted this as a sign that trademark holders are becoming more proactive in asserting their rights.
"As a result of strengthening our response to technology theft and counterfeit distribution since the agency's launch, investigative results in the first half of this year have increased significantly," said Jeong Yeon-woo, deputy director of the Intellectual Property Agency. "Having proactively expanded our investigative personnel and organization in June from two divisions with 52 staff to five divisions with 86 staff in anticipation of the surge in cases, we will build on this to improve the speed and accuracy of our investigations and faithfully protect our technologies, products and companies."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
