The Korean Intellectual Property Office is strengthening cooperation with Qatar as the Gulf state accelerates its transition from an oil-dependent economy to a knowledge-based one under its “Qatar National Vision 2030.”
As part of this effort, KIPO Commissioner Kim Wan-ki met with Mohammed bin Hassan Al Malki, undersecretary of Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, on July 6 at the ministry’s headquarters in Lusail. The two sides discussed ways to bolster bilateral collaboration in the intellectual property sector and agreed to move forward with concrete measures.
Building on that meeting, KIPO and Qatar are now pursuing a wide-ranging program that includes assessing Qatar’s current IP legal and institutional framework, formulating a national IP strategy covering creation, utilization and protection, and providing tailored training programs to strengthen capacity. The partnership also involves dispatching Korean experts and offering consulting services to help Qatar establish its own national IP system.
“By establishing a strategic partnership in the IP field with Qatar, a traditional partner for South Korea in energy and construction, we have laid the groundwork for broadening the scope of bilateral cooperation between the two nations,” Kim said. “KIPO aims to create a favorable IP environment that also supports overseas export companies.”
South Korea is one of the IP5 — the world’s five largest intellectual property powerhouses alongside the United States, the European Union, Japan and China — which together account for about 85 percent of global patent filings. The growing partnership with Qatar underscores Korea’s role as a leader in IP development and highlights the importance of intellectual property in driving economic diversification in the Middle East.
By Lee Kwon-hyung and Ha Neul-bit
andreahaneu@heraldcorp.com
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
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