- The economic strength of most patents is revealed within 3~4 years -


As more companies are displaying their patent registrations on product promotion and advertisement, patent has become the warrant for a ‘big hit’. For example, an ordinary housewife with a remarkable career background invented a steam cleaner that raised more than KRW 100 billion (USD 104 million) in sales, attracting more public attention to ‘patents hitting the jackpot’.


Not all patents hit the jackpot. According to KIPO, about 76,000 patents became nullified in the year 2005. More than 97% of these patents were nullified because they lacked the values of commercial utilization. 92.5% of the patents were nullified because of the ‘loss of necessity for granting rights due to the introduction of new technologies’, and 5% were nullified because of ‘economic circumstances’.

When do we know whether a patent will hit the jackpot? Do great patents display themselves in early stages? More than half of the nullified patents are terminated within 3~4 years after registration. After that period, patents tend to last longer. More than 10% of patents last more than 10 years. We can conclude that as interest in patents elevates and development of new technology accelerates, judgment is made more quickly on the economic strengths of patents and their probability for commercial success.

Since last May, the cost burden has been reduced for patent holders who retain their patent for a long period. KIPO (Commissioner: JUN, Sang Woo) continues to promote patent applications as well as to support retention of significant core technology by granting discounts for accumulated registration fees.


Mr. LEE, Heung Kyu, the director of Registration Service Team, KIPO, commented, “We will continue to analyze the patent life cycle, as well as the reasons for nullification to elevate the utility of patents and systemize patent management. We will provide patent information oriented to our customers.”