(By guest blogger, Andy Jackson)
If you are a businessperson or copyright attorney in Korea and you don’t have a link to Dram Man, what’s wrong with you? He has a new site and is posting more than he had been in the past, including a couple of good ones he put up today.
First, he reports that you can earn up to 10,000,000 won for reporting on people selling counterfeit goods (like fake Louis Vuitton handbags). There must be a catch because, if there isn’t, one afternoon with a camera in Namdaemun would pay for a new car.
Before you go rushing out the door, take a look at another piece he has on the ‘intellectual property rights war’ being waged against poor underdeveloped Korean companies by those nasty foreigners who think that they have the right to make money from their inventions.
2 Comments
I think you’ll find that the bounty is offered for reports of factories making the counterfeit goods. A rather more difficult task than finding sellers.
I emailed the KIPO and got the usual response, read below, starting with my email:
??? : Reporting
? ??? : 06-01-04 ??? 9:12:46
What is the process for reporting copyright infringement? What
information is necessary to be eligible for a reward? I live in
***. As a longtime resident here I know of many shops and factories
breaking the law in this area. I do not and will not trust the local
*** police. Either they are going to ignore the tip or pocket the
reward. Is there a simple way I could be provided an address to report via
email?
Thank you.
RESPONSE:
In general, there are no provisions stipulating rewarding system for a
third party to report infringement of violation of intellectual property
rights.
Korean Intellectual Property Office, which manages industrial rights such
as patents, utility models, trademarks and industrial designs, in
cooperation with the Police and the Prosecutors, operates a specific
campaign to provide rewards for reporting those who produce or trade
counterfeit goods from January 2006. Please note that this is only for
infringement cases of registered trademarks.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism (www.mct.go.kr) is responsible for
copyright issues. The Ministry of Culture is cooperating with copyright-
related organizations regarding enforcement of copyright laws.
For the details about copyrights, please ask the Ministry of Culture and
Tourism.
Sincerely,
JO Hyunjoo
International Cooperation Division
Korean Intellectual Property Office