Trials & Appeals

The trial system for intellectual property rights establishes an intermediate decision-making process under which KIPO, an administrative office, reviews and decides legal actions and disputes prior to any final decision made by the Supreme Court on appeal. Because decisions on disputes related to patent rights require a high degree of technical expertise, they are made under the jurisdiction of the Korea Intellectual Property Tribunal (KIPT), a branch of KIPO, to ensure expertise and fair trials.

Any appeal against a KIPT decision may be lodged to the Patent Court, a high court of justice that specializes in appeals against trial decisions. Any appeal against the ruling of the Patent Court may be filed to the Supreme Court, an appellate court of last resort.