Firms look to patent protection as key to success

“Patent” will be a key word for major Korean electronics companies this year. Samsung Electronics said yesterday it will place greater importance on patent management this year. “The only path to survival in the future is technology development,” vice chairman Yun Jong-yong said. “Technology is no longer a choice. It is the weapon with which developed countries and top companies arm themselves before entering the global economy.” Samsung said it hopes to register 2,000 patents this year and 2,000 more in 2006 to become one of the top-three patent registrants in the United States by 2007. For the past three years, it has invested almost 10 trillion won ($9.6 billion) in research and development. LG Electronics said yesterday that it will increase supervision of its patents because its profits on royalties derived from these are increasing. “We compensate researchers who propose new patents and are actively seeking a more professional workforce,” said LG official Kim Kyung-hwan. Pantech and its affiliates will also put effort into creating legal protective measures to prevent copying of mobile phone designs. In a report released yesterday, the Korean Intellectual Property Office said the number of patents registered last year was 140,176, or 17.4 percent more than in the previous year. In 2001 and 2002, the growth rate was between two and three percent. Information technology patents made up 56 percent of the whole, with Samsung and LG in the lead. “As can be seen in recent patent conflicts with Japan regarding plasma display panels, companies are competing for patent holdings by reinforcing their investments in research and development and registering patents both here and abroad,” patent official Choi Dae-sun said. by Wohn Dong-hee