On the occasion of 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and the Republic of Korea, placed under the slogan "Creativity, Opportunities, Solidarity"Franco-Korean cooperation in intellectual property has established itself as a structuring axis of the partnership between the two countries.

It was in this context that the Director General of the INPI, Pascal Faure, was in Seoul on February 5 to exchange views with Kim Yong Sun, Minister of Intellectual Property of the Republic of Korea, in the context of a bilateral meeting.

This meeting is of particular importance, as it marks the first exchange between the Institute and the Korean Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP) since the latter's recent establishment, and also constitutes the MOIP's very first bilateral meeting with a foreign intellectual property office. Furthermore, it builds upon a long-standing and dynamic cooperation with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO).

It concluded with the signing of a work plan for the years 2026-2027 between the INPI and the MOIP, structuring joint actions around three priorities:

• artificial intelligence;

• geographical indications;

• the implementation and defense of intellectual property rights.

This trip was also marked by the Franco-Korean Intellectual Property DayThe event, hosted at the French Embassy in the Republic of Korea and organized jointly with the INPI (French National Institute of Industrial Property), was opened by Philippe Bertoux, French Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, alongside Kim Yong Sun and Pascal Faure. It brought together more than 80 French and Korean innovation stakeholders.

Placed under the theme « Navigating between innovation and artificial intelligence: new frontiers and new challenges for intellectual property »The day provided an opportunity to address, through two high-level roundtables, the challenges related to innovation in the age of AI and the protection of intellectual property rights in a context of technological transformations.

These exchanges illustrate the shared desire of France and the Republic of Korea to anticipate together the changes in intellectual property in order to best respond to economic and technological developments.

Source: https://www.inpi.fr//en/in-one/France-Republic-of-Korea