Starting July, registering for patents will become easier, and the application turnaround time will be shortened for trademarks involving green technology. The Korean Intellectual Property Office announced that a revised Patent Act will take effect at the beginning of this month.

The revised act is designed to sharply reduce the number of cases where superior inventions fail to receive patents. The variety of inventions eligible for patents will be expanded and applicants whose patents were rejected previously will be able to re-apply without going through a patent examiner. Even if the overall patent receives a final rejection, applicants can patent a portion of the invention should it meet the criteria of the patent office.

Beginning in October Korea will be the first country in the world to implement a special type of high-speed process to grant intellectual property rights to low-carbon, green-growth technology. Eco-friendly technology that is developed with the government's financial assistance will receive a decision on whether a patent will be granted within four months of the application, two months less than the regular process.