Korea Intellectual Property Office eases font and 3D design filing rules

The Korea Intellectual Property Office said Monday it will streamline the application process for font designs and reduce errors in three-dimensional filings through proposed amendments to the Design Protection Act Enforcement Rules.

The office is holding a legislative preview of the revisions from September 21 to November 2. The amendments were prepared to reduce the burden on applicants creating drawings, increase filing convenience, and minimize corrections or supplements needed during the examination process.

Under the new rules, the number of designated characters required for Hangul font applications will drop from 500 to 209, while necessary drawings decrease from five to two. Requirements for Chinese character fonts will also see reductions, with designated characters falling from 900 to 310 and drawings shrinking from nine to two.

The revisions also address technical issues with three-dimensional model files. Applicants will now receive stronger guidance to verify their designs in the official viewer before submission and may submit alternative two-dimensional drawings if errors persist.

Nam Young-taek, director of the Trademark and Design Examination Division at the office, said the reduced character and drawing counts will allow applicants to file font designs more conveniently. "We expect this revision to significantly lower the number of characters and drawings applicants must prepare," Nam said. "Going forward, we will continue to listen to voices from the design field to support applicants in securing design rights more easily."