The ongoing patent war between Samsung and Apple has recently sparked great interest in intellectual property rights (IPR). Companies have come to regard their IPR as weapons for survival, and IPR disputes are expected to increase exponentially over the next 10 years.

In 2009, Shin & Kim’s IPR team numbered only 29 attorneys. But, seeing the growing demand for IPR related services, the team made a concerted effort to recruit skilled attorneys with specialized expertise. The team now provides its professional services through 62 attorneys and patent agents, and is led by partners, Mr. Yong-Ho Moon, former chief judge of the patent court, and Mr. Ghyo-Sun Park, renowned for his victories in the most high-profile product liability cases in Korea. The team includes professionals with Korean and US degrees, and degrees in engineering (Yoon-Hee Kim, Chang-Won Jeong) and pharmacy (Hyo Jin Cha). Mr. Bo-Kyoung Lim, a former registered patent agent, and Dr. Seong Don Hwang, who holds a doctorate in solid state physics, also each play key roles in this team.

Last year, the IPR team represented domestic game broadcasters in the copyright dispute over Star Craft game broadcasts. Recently, the team has been representing Samsung Displays against LG Displays in an injunction proceeding involving trade secrets and technological know-how relating to the use of advanced OLED displays in smart phones and tablet computers – as Samsung and LG are both giants and fierce rivals in the domestic television and international electronics markets, the dispute goes to the heart of their reputation and pride.

Other representative cases include a wide range of intellectual property disputes, such as a dispute over screen door system in subway trains between Japanese and Korean companies and a lawsuit for breach of trade secrets between French and Korean companies involving a film for protecting photovoltaic module. We also have expertise and a successful track record in product liability cases involving tobacco and exhaust gas/fumes.

Matters for which the IPR team’s expertise is being sought are steadily on the rise and amounted to 25% of our firm’s litigation practice last year. Dealing with intellectual matters, the Shin & Kim IPR team provides tailored services based not only on theoretical legal knowledge but hands-on experience.