A resident of Gyeonggi Province won KRW 3.3 million (USD 3,397) from the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) in February 2006, for reporting counterfeit goods.
He is the first winner of the anticounterfeiting reward system that was established by KIPO last January. A KIPO officer said that many cases were reported last January, and the number of winners like him is expected to increase.


When an individual reports manufacturers or distributors connected with counterfeiting, the reward depends on the value of the counterfeit goods.
The reward ranges from KRW 100,000 to KRW 10 million (103 ~ 10,296 USD). If the amount of the counterfeit goods is over KRW 30 billion (USD 30,889,621), the reporter will receive KRW 10 million (USD 10,296). If the value of counterfeit goods is less than KRW 100 million (USD 102,965), no reward is offered.
Accusers and plaintiffs can also apply for rewards after making a charge related to counterfeiting.



The officer emphasized, “Some people report counterfeiting goods without facts and figures. They should not report counterfeiting cases with only their conjecture”.


Anyone can report counterfeiting activities and goods to KIPO, to the prosecutor’s office, to the police office, and on the internet homepages of the above organizations.