Protect Your Product's Appearance in South Korea
From product shapes to graphical user interfaces, Korea's Design Protection Act gives creators and manufacturers exclusive rights over the visual appearance of their goods. Brealant helps you register industrial designs with KIPO, whether you're filing directly in Korea or designating the country through the Hague System.
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Essential Guide to Industrial Design Registration in South Korea
What an Industrial Design Protects: Registration under the Design Protection Act covers the shape, pattern, color, or combination of these in an article — the ornamental, non-functional appearance that makes your product visually distinctive.
Examination — Standard and Fast-Track Routes: Most designs undergo substantive examination by KIPO for novelty and creativity, though certain fast-moving sectors such as textiles and fashion goods can use a simplified, faster registration track with limited pre-examination.
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As a member of the Hague System, Korea can be designated through a single international design application, alongside the option of filing a design application directly with KIPO.
Get Expert Help FastA Hassle-Free Design Journey with Brealant
Contact: Reach out to Brealant to discuss the product or appearance you want to protect.
Search: Our team searches KIPO's design database and related sources to assess the novelty of your design before filing.
File: Brealant prepares and files your design application with KIPO, including the required drawings or photographs.
Wait: Your application undergoes formal and, in most cases, substantive examination for novelty and creativity.
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Limitations — What Design Protection Cannot Guarantee:
- Novelty Is Required, With a Limited Grace Period: A design must not have been publicly disclosed before filing, though Korea allows a 12-month grace period for certain disclosures.
- Functional Features Are Excluded: Design protection covers ornamental appearance only; features dictated solely by the function of the article fall outside its scope.
- Territorial Protection Only: A Korean design registration protects your product's appearance only within Korea.
Formalities Check
Certification (if needed)
Filing for Registration
Priority Claim (if any)
1-2 months
3-6 months
2-6 months
Within 6 months
What Design Protection Covers in South Korea
Product Shape & Configuration Designs
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The three-dimensional form and structure of an article, from consumer products to industrial components.
Graphic & Screen (GUI) Designs
Icons, screen layouts, and graphical user interfaces displayed on a device — a category Korea's Design Protection Act explicitly recognizes.
Partial Designs
A distinctive part of an article, rather than its entire appearance, protectable where that part is itself visually significant.
Related Design Filings
Variations on a basic design filed within the statutory window, letting you protect a family of similar designs under one basic registration.
Step 5: Registration & publication
manage timing to fit launch plans.
Step 6: Maintain & renew
renewals as permitted by the jurisdiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does industrial design protection last in South Korea?
Registered designs are protected for 20 years from the filing date, following an amendment that moved the term from a registration-date basis to a filing-date basis.
Does South Korea examine design applications before registering them?
Yes, most designs undergo substantive examination for novelty and creativity, though a simplified fast-track with limited pre-examination is available for certain fast-moving consumer goods categories.
Can I protect a graphical user interface or app icon as a design in Korea?
Yes, Korea's Design Protection Act explicitly recognizes graphic and screen (GUI) designs as registrable subject matter.
Can I file one international application to protect my design in Korea?
Yes, as a Hague System member, Korea can be designated through a single international design application filed via the Hague route.
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