(Image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, July 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Among the patent suits filed against South Korean firms in the U.S. last year, a significant number of them were initiated by global non-practicing entities (NPEs), also known as “patent trolls.”
Patent trolls are entities that derive profits from patent licensing or enforcement.
According to a report from the Korean Intellectual Property Office, Korean companies were involved in a total of 208 patent disputes in the U.S. last year.
The majority of these disputes, accounting for 71.6 percent, were cases in which Korean companies were defendants in lawsuits. Large conglomerates constituted 89.8 percent of the litigated companies.
About 70 percent of the disputes occurred in the electric, electronic, and IT sectors, highlighting the urgent need to safeguard the patents of the nation’s flagship industries.
Of the patent lawsuits, 84.6 percent were filed by patent trolls, marking the highest share in five years.
After declining from 73.3 percent in 2018 to 69.4 percent in 2020, the proportion of lawsuits initiated by NPEs rebounded to 77.6 percent in 2021 and reached 84.6 percent last year.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
