Korea Intellectual Property Office says patent filings hit record high

The Korea Intellectual Property Office said Thursday that domestic patent and trademark applications reached record levels in the first half of 2026, driven by a sharp rise in filings from individuals and new applicants. Patent submissions jumped 29.2 percent from a year earlier to 141,259 cases, while trademark applications climbed 18.6 percent to 180,787.

Applications from individuals surged 134.0 percent to 33,819, lifting their share of total patent filings to 23.9 percent from 13.2 percent. The office estimated that the spread of generative artificial intelligence tools improved accessibility for direct filings, as the proportion of individual applications submitted without agents rose to 66.7 percent.

First-time patent filers also contributed significantly to the growth, with their application volume increasing 74.2 percent to 25,726. This group now accounts for 36.9 percent of all applicants, up from 32.2 percent a year ago. In the trademark sector, applications from new filers rose 31.8 percent to 69,134.

Strong performance in advanced industries such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence pushed computer programming and system integration to become the top patent category, representing 16.0 percent of all filings. Trademark applications in computer and scientific technology services grew 64.2 percent to 9,635.

South Korean applicants also expanded their presence abroad, filing 165,567 patents with the five major intellectual property offices globally, a 30.1 percent increase. Filings rose across key markets, including 10.4 percent in the United States and 14.9 percent in Europe.

"We confirmed that the base of applicants is expanding, centered on individuals and new filers, amid a significant increase in patent and trademark applications," said Jeong Jae-hwan, director of the Intellectual Property Information Bureau at the office. He added that authorities will closely monitor application trends to ensure the growth leads to high-quality intellectual property rights.