South Korea

Firm overview

The firm was established in 2002 by two senior attorneys who decided to leave a large firm environment to create a more focused, efficient and responsive practice. Based on the reputation and capabilities of the founding members, as well as the established trust and loyalty with their clients, the firm was immediately active representing multi-national clients. The firm’s clients are among the most recognized names and leaders in various business sectors, such as software and technology, retailing, luxury goods and fashion, energy, etc.

Since its establishment, the firm has continued to grow, a result of the firm’s uncompromising emphasis on maintaining its reputation for the highest level of service, professionalism and integrity. This philosophy and commitment has been essential in developing and servicing the firm’s prestigious list of clients, whose needs are sophisticated and whose matters have global impact.

The firm is proud of its approach of nurturing very close and personal relationships with its clients, the foundation of the firm’s ability to know its clients and thereby serve their needs more effectively and efficiently.

Intellectual Property Practice

The firm has a strong and diverse practice in all aspects of intellectual property. It is very active with both domestic and international prosecution practice for trademarks, as well as related disputes and administrative proceedings. Aside from prosecution matters, the firm and its members have become particularly well-known for its capabilities in the areas of litigation, anti-counterfeiting and internet related matters.

In the area of anti-counterfeiting and enforcement, the firm has developed a very strong reputation for its effective and creative programs in combating many difficult problems in Korea. The firm represents many brand owners and manages among the most active anti-counterfeiting and trademark enforcement programs in the country.

The firm is also very active with domain name disputes, successfully reclaiming domain name registrations from cyber-squatters for trademark owners. Mr. Tae-Yeon Cho has served on the executive committee for the Internet Address Domain Name Dispute Resolution Committee, the government body that administers Korean domain name disputes. Another member of the firm, Mr. Ik Hyun Seo, serves as a panelist for WIPO with respect to gTLD disputes.

Firm overview

NAM IP Group is a Seoul-based intellectual property law firm recognized for delivering sophisticated, business-oriented advice to global innovators. Our 180+ professionals—patent and trademark attorneys, attorneys-at-law, patent engineers, technology consultants, linguists, and dedicated support teams—serve clients across semiconductors, electronics, AI/ICT, EVs and batteries, biotechnology/pharma, advanced materials, medical devices, and fashion boutique.

We combine deep local insight with international perspective. Many of our professionals have trained or worked in the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, and China, and we work daily in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese. Diversity and inclusion are integral to how we operate: we recruit globally, maintain gender-diverse teams and leadership, run mentoring and cross-cultural training, support flexible work, and apply merit-based advancement. These practices strengthen collaboration, responsiveness, and the practical solutions our clients receive.

Our services cover the full IP lifecycle—patent, trademark, and design prosecution; oppositions, invalidations, and litigation; FTO and portfolio strategy; licensing and transactions; trade secrets and enforcement; and regulatory interfaces such as Korea’s patent-linkage system. Quality and efficiency are powered by robust processes and technology, including ISO-driven workflows, data-driven concordance/consistency management, and a customized translation engine with expert and attorney review for accuracy and cost control.

Guided by our “PAVE the way for client success” ethos—prestigious, accessible, value-adding, and effective—we provide seamless execution for inbound and outbound matters and a clear bridge to IP success in Korea.

Firm overview

WE ARE AN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW FIRM.
WE BELIEVE TECHNOLOGY & OUR IMAGINATION WILL MAKE A BETTER WORLD.
WE ARE HERE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

Our professionals also have industry experience with prestigious companies, universities, and research centers in Korea and overseas. Some have experience at KIPO as a former patent examiner. We seek to employ the most talented graduates who then undertake extensive in-house training and have a senior member act as a mentor.

Our goal is to continue to provide high quality solutions that are tailor-made for each client. Our litigation team also works closely with outside teams if we feel this is to our client’s advantage. By working with our clients we are able to help guide them along the path that they choose to achieve the results they are seeking

-Min Son, Ph.D. / Managing Partner

Firm overview

Kim & Chang's Intellectual Property (IP) Practice is the top rated IP specialized practice in Korea, and uniquely combines our recognized expertise in IP with the resources of Korea's leading general practice law firm. Our IP Practice boasts the deepest and most experienced roster of IP attorneys, patent attorneys, former Patent Court Judges, foreign attorneys, and technical specialists in Korea.
As one of the largest general practice law firms in Asia and with a wealth of knowledge gleaned from handling many of the most important IP cases in Korea over the past 50 years, Kim & Chang is able to offer comprehensive legal solutions for all your IP and IP related needs.

With over 450 professionals including IP litigators, patent attorneys and foreign IP attorneys, and over 600 patent engineers, trademark paralegals, and support staff, we cover the full scope of IP rights. Our patent professionals have specialized technical backgrounds in numerous fields, including biotech, pharmaceuticals, chemistry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science. Many of our professionals also have extensive experience as judges, prosecutors, or Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) examiners, and their experience and know-how is invaluable in obtaining positive results for our clients. We work closely with other practice groups within the firm, including general corporate law, mergers & acquisitions, competition law and customs, in order to advise our clients on any IP-related legal issue they may encounter in Korea.

The following is an exemplary list of services provided by the patent group:

• Patent infringement litigation and pre-assertion due diligence;
• IP Trial and Appeal Board litigation (invalidity and scope confirmation actions);
• IP arbitration (domestic and international);
• Antitrust and fair trade violations arising out of IP-related matters;
• Domestic patent prosecution (preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications before KIPO);
• Foreign patent prosecution (preparing patent applications and preparing responses to office actions in foreign jurisdictions);
• Prior art searching (for litigation and licensing);
• Patent infringement and validity opinions;
• Freedom-to-operate opinions (for product clearance);
• Patentability opinions;
• Disputes arising out of patent agreements;
• Assignment of patent rights;
• Joint development, ownership and exploitation agreements;
• Patent and technology licensing;
• Patent portfolio development via indigenous innovation, patent acquisition or divestment projects;
• Employment contract disputes concerning patents;
• US litigation support, including pretrial discovery document review and deposition support (e.g., by attorneys admitted to US bars); and Patent Due diligence.