More than four out of 10 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have filed patent applications have suffered damages from technology theft but did not take separate measures due to difficulty in verifying the extent of the damages. (Image courtesy of Pixabay)
SEOUL, Sept. 21 (Korea Bizwire) – More than four out of 10 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have filed patent applications have suffered damages from technology theft but did not take separate measures due to difficulty in verifying the extent of the damages.
The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business conducted a ‘Policy Demand Survey for the Eradication of Technology Theft’ with 300 SMEs that had applied for patents within the previous three years, from August 22 to September 6.
Among the respondents, 10.7 percent said that they had experienced technology theft. However, 43.8 percent of those who were affected mentioned that they hadn’t taken any separate measures against technology theft.
The survey showed that 28.1 percent reported their cases to administrative institutions such as the Fair Trade Commission, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Intellectual Property Office, while 21.9 percent took legal action, including compensation litigation.
Among those who responded that they did not take any measures, 78.6 percent cited difficulty in verifying their damages as the main reason.
When asked which policy is most needed for restoring damages, 70.6 percent chose the government’s support for verifying damages from technology theft, followed by the strengthening of the punitive compensation system (23.5 percent).
Regarding the level of criminal punishment for technology theft, 89.3 percent expressed dissatisfaction. As for the reason behind their dissatisfaction, 52.2 percent cited ‘lenient punishment,’ followed by ‘leniency in punishment compared to the level of damage for being a first-time offender’ (25.4 percent).
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
