- Serves as a cornerstone of 21st century’s leading country in design.


KIPO (Commissioner: JUN Sang Woo) is opening a new horizon of strengthening competitiveness in the design industry. The agency is promoting a “design map” project to allow people to use the vast design database that was originally collecting data as the reference in design examinations. The number of designs in this database is about 5.8 million.


Design map (DM) is a program where bibliographical information related to the rights of design properties, as well as related sketch articles in and out of the country, are organized, processed, and analyzed to allow users to understand related trends, similarities, and disputes.


DM has 2 major modules: trend analysis by items and trend analysis by industries. By 2010, DM for 326 items will be established, and analysis on industrial trends will be available for 13 industry areas, 73 service areas, and 458 general designation areas.


DM will be used as a fundamental data source to set the developmental direction of product, to reinforce competitiveness, and to understand the change in design trend, market, and product of specific areas. It will be used actively by various industries, academies, attorneys, and applicants to analyze the relationship between design rights. DM is expected to contribute significantly in establishing the domestic design infrastructure. It is also expected to play the key role of raising the level of the domestic design industry to the level of advanced countries.


Currently, there is no example of public agencies establishing a DM. Only a few DMs were established by civil companies through outside orders.

KIPO established a patent map (PM) in 2000 that has similar functions as a DM. It performs its tasks related to patent issues continuously since it was established.


In case of foreign countries, only the Japanese Patent Office has started establishing DM since 2000. Currently, the agency completed a DM for the core designs in 17 areas, but the level of DM still remains in the early stage of providing information.


For the first time in the world, the DM project currently promoted by KIPO uses the design database to provide a computerized service for many purposes. In the global trend of limitless competition, “DM” will serve the function as a milestone to reinforce national design competitiveness in the 21st century.