Korea, Timor-Leste sign IP cooperation MOU as Dili plans its own office

The Korea Intellectual Property Office said it signed a comprehensive intellectual property cooperation memorandum of understanding with Timor-Leste, with the agreement sealed in the presence of the two countries' heads of state on Nov. 6.

KIPO and Timor-Leste's Ministry of Commerce and Industry, led by Minister Filipus Nino Pereira, agreed at a ministerial meeting at the Korea Intellectual Property Center in Gangnam District, Seoul, to broaden their IP cooperation. The centerpiece is Timor-Leste's plan to establish its own intellectual property office, targeted for the first half of 2027, work the MOU is expected to accelerate.

"The cooperation discussions that began in Geneva in July are leading to a concrete result — the establishment of Timor-Leste's intellectual property office — with the attention and support of the two countries' leaders," KIPO Commissioner Kim Yong-sun said. "We will work actively so that our intellectual property system and experience can contribute to Timor-Leste's industrial development."

The Timorese government has been pushing to develop non-oil industries including agriculture and manufacturing, and its parliament recently passed an industrial property rights bill. Protecting trademarks and geographical indications for distinctive local products such as coffee and the traditional woven fabric tais is a central task for the new office.

KIPO's support for the office predates the MOU: in June 2025 it invited the preparatory team from Timor-Leste's trade ministry to Korea for training in organizational and staffing management, legislation, and patent, trademark and design examination and registration procedures, and since April 2026 it has been running a project with the World Intellectual Property Organization to help establish the office.

Under the agreement, the two sides plan to systematize Timor-Leste's intellectual property regime and link the work to Korea-ASEAN and WIPO cooperation as Timor-Leste moves toward joining ASEAN.