South Korea > Intellectual property
Intellectual property
Kim & Chang has an ‘extremely knowledgeable’ IP team that provides ‘exceptional service and terrific advice on both procedural and substantive matters’. More than 220 attorneys, patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys make up one of the largest practices in South Korea, servicing the patent and trade mark portfolios of multinational clients. Managing partner Jay Young-June Yang leads the team, with Peter K Paik recommended for his ability to ‘communicate actions clearly’. In Hwan Kim, Sang-Wook Han, and Duck Soon Chang all provide ‘exceptional substantive and strategic advice’.
Lee & Ko’s 90-strong team is ‘responsive, very industry savvy, and always on point’, and includes ‘highly capable and qualified’ IP litigators and patent attorneys. It acted for Samsung Electronics in a patent infringement claim against Apple Korea before the US, German, Japanese and Korean courts. It also acted for Lacoste in a trade mark cancellation trial against Crocodile International’s combination mark. Jae Hoon Kim heads the IP litigation team.
Headed by Hoo Dong Lee, Bae, Kim & Lee LLC’s IP practice acted for POSCO Power in a multimillion-dollar technology transfer and licence agreement, and successfully defended LG Chemical in a case concerning allegations of trade secret violations. It also handles privacy, franchise and entertainment-related cases.
Boutique IP firm Cho & Partners handles complex, high-value trade mark disputes for an international client base that includes Nintendo Of America and Walmart. The 12-partner team has a significant track record; what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in expertise. In 2010 it handled trade mark cases for adidas and Burberry, among others. Tae-Yeon Cho and Ik-Hyun Seo are recommended.
Lee International IP & Law Group has a sizeable team that focuses on contentious IP matters, including domain name, trade mark and patent disputes. Young-Hwan Na is recommended.
DARAE Law is notable as one of the first specialist IP firms in South Korea. It handles patent, design and trade mark litigation for a broad range of domestic and foreign clients.
Kim, Choi & Lim fields a team of 20 specialist patent and IP attorneys, handling prosecution and civil litigation for local Korean companies and foreign clients. Young Chol Kim is recommended.
Yong-Ho Moon and Ghyo-Sun Park lead the IP team at Shin & Kim, which advises on patent and copyright infringement cases for pharmaceuticals and game broadcasting companies. It recently defended a domestic clothing merchant against a foreign brand management company in copyright and unfair competition disputes.
Yoon & Yang LLC’s contentious IP practice has developed a strong roster of international clients, including Yahoo! (Korea) and Salvatore Ferragamo. In 2010 it acted for the latter client in trade mark infringement claims against Keumkang, the largest shoemaker in Korea. Wonil Kim leads the team.
Yulchon’s IP practice has gone from strength to strength, handling landmark cases for international and domestic clients, as well as acting as designated counsel for the Intellectual Property Rights Committee of the European Union’s Chamber of Commerce in Korea. Highlight cases included representing Daelim Industrial Co Ltd in a lawsuit filed by a former employee demanding transfer of patents. Young-Hill Liew heads the team, and former patent court judge Jeong Yeol Choe is also recommended.
Central International Law Firm handles patent, trade mark and copyright matters for Fortune 500 companies. Hoon Chang and Dong Jae Lee are recommended.
Law Firm Pureun is active in defending its clients before the Korean Intellectual Property Office. Chul-Sub Jung is the key contact.