Most Popular
-
1
Yoon apologizes for first lady Dior bag scandal, calls push for special probe ‘political’
-
2
South Korea open to Indonesian proposal to cut KF-21 payments
-
3
Korea forecast to overtake Taiwan in chip production by 2032: report
-
4
Girl hanging on bridge, police trying to rescue her both fall off; rescued immediately
-
5
[K-pop’s dilemma] Time, profit pressures work against originality
-
6
[K-pop’s dilemma] Can K-pop break free from ‘fandom’ model?
-
7
YouTuber fatally stabbed on livestream by another YouTuber in Busan
-
8
Yoon rebuffs opposition's call for special probe into wife
-
9
Arrest warrant issued for medical student for allegedly killing girlfriend after breakup
-
10
S. Korea to let doctors with foreign licenses practice
-
Creations of the ‘beautiful mind’
“Creations of the beautiful mind.” No, I am not referring to a novel I read last week.It refers to the definition of intellectual property offered by the World Intellectual Property Organization, or WIPO. “Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images and designs used in commerce.” In the midst of the infamous “intergalactic” ongoing battle between Samsung and Apple, we tend to think that intellectual property is someth
Oct. 22, 2012
-
AIPPI groups and meetings
On Saturday, about 2,000 IP specialists from throughout the world converged in Seoul for the 43rd Congress of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property.AIPPI has members from more than 100 countries, either grouped in national groups or regional groups. Where no group exists they are independent members. Each group welcomes IP specialists of the country or region (such as lawyers, patent and trademarks attorneys, members from industry, academics and judges) and an
Oct. 22, 2012
-
AIPPI considers ambitious revamp
The 43rd World Intellectual Property Congress of AIPPI is taking place in Seoul from Saturday until Tuesday, 2012. It is the first time in 20 years that the AIPPI Congress returns to Asia. In that interval of 20 years, the economies of Korea, Japan and China have all assumed positions as leading economies in the world. During the past 20 years, the AIPPI has reformed and modernized its working methods and meetings in an effort to maintain its leading role in the study, development and harmonizat
Oct. 22, 2012
-
IP experts discuss future patent system
Members of the 2012 APPI Intellectual Property Congress in Seoul started ramped up their learning curve on Sunday by sailing through a number of IP-related plenary sessions and workshops, following a warm-up period for the first two days. Attendees expressed their keen interest in the Korean legal system, in what is one of the fastest-moving IP protection markets in the world as a high-tech export-driven nation. In the afternoon, a plenary session opened up the topic of the future of the patent
Oct. 22, 2012
-
Insurance to be required for on-call chauffeur services
A bill has been submitted to the National Assembly to make insurance mandatory for on-call chauffeur service providers as an increasing number of accidents occur while these services are taking place for drunk drivers.About 23,000 car accidents involving on-call drivers were reported to insurance companies in 2010 and 22,000 cases last year, according to the Financial Supervisory Service and the insurance industry.These accidents fall under special contract categories for car insurance in which
Oct. 22, 2012
-
Electronic cigarette firms punished for false ad
Electronic cigarette manufacturers were punished and forced to make changes to their misleading advertisements, the nation’s antitrust watchdog said on Monday. The Fair Trade Commission said that electronic cigarette firms have falsely advertised that replacing regular cigarettes with electric cigarettes is effective in quitting smoking. Although the health-improving effect and safety of electric cigarettes have long been disputed, the public can easily conceive the wrong impression of electroni
IndustryOct. 22, 2012
-
YF Sonata forecast to hit record sales in U.S.
Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s leading automaker, said Monday that sales of its leading midsize sedan, YF Sonata, are expected to reach a record high in the United States this year on the back of its good performance and design.In the first nine months of the year, a total of 175,436 YF Sonata sedans were sold in the U.S., up 0.3 percent from a year earlier, according to Hyundai Motor.Hyundai Motor sold 225,961 YF Sonata sedans in 2011 following sales of 170,224 units in 2010. “Demand for the
IndustryOct. 22, 2012
-
Shares down on EU disappointment
South Korean stocks closed 0.12 percent lower on Monday as investors were disheartened by a recent European Union summit and downbeat earnings from U.S. firms, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slipped 2.25 points to 1,941.59 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Trading volume was moderate at 453.8 million shares worth 3.8 trillion won ($3.4 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 444 to 369.“The EU policy event di
Oct. 22, 2012
-
Hana-SK issues record number of mobile cards
Hana-SK Card, the smallest player among local credit card companies, is not so little when it comes to mobile cards, as proven by its recent record-breaking card issuance numbers. Hana-SK became the first in the industry to issue more than 500,000 mobile cards as of September this year, industry sources said on Monday. The figure is also a record-breaker in the global credit card industry, they said.Hana-SK’s feat comes as existing plastic credit cards are expected to be largely replaced by mobi
IndustryOct. 22, 2012
-
Discount chains to restrict business to support small biz
Presidents of large discount store chains such as E-Mart, Lotte Mart and Homeplus agreed to refrain from opening new stores and to voluntarily close on Sundays in a bid to support small retailers and mom-and-pop shops.Chiefs of the retail giants also agreed with associations of merchants and small supermarkets during a meeting on Monday to organize a consultative body to discuss the current law that requires large outlets to close every other Sunday and measures to support small and medium-sized
IndustryOct. 22, 2012
-
LG Chem denies halt at Holland battery plant
LG Chem on Monday denied news reports that operations have stopped at its overseas battery plant in Holland, Michigan, stating that it was never officially activated.The plant, designed to produce batteries for electric vehicles, has curtailed its operations to 75 percent and has deferred the date to put the factory in full operation mode as the firm is waiting until the market condition turns favorable for electric cars, according to company officials. It now employs about 200 workers.“Some for
IndustryOct. 22, 2012
-
Korea plans to allow duty-free SMEs
Sour consumer sentiment has been taking its toll on Korea’s department stores and discount chains for months, but the duty-free retail industry has been a shining exception.Duty-free shops run by chaebol conglomerates such as Lotte, Shilla and SK posted some 4.4 trillion won ($3.9 billion) in combined sales last year, nearly double their combined revenue of 2.2 trillion won three years before in 2008. The two-story Lotte Duty Free Shop above Lotte Department Store in central Seoul alone generate
IndustryOct. 22, 2012
-
Affiliates of conglomerates pay out low dividends
South Korean conglomerates’ average dividend payouts to investors hovered below the market average last year, data showed Monday, raising concerns over family-owned firms taking excessive profits.The average dividend yield ratio came to 1.09 percent for 83 affiliates of the top 10 conglomerates listed on the main bourse, according to market researcher Corporate Governance Service.The number lags behind the market average of 1.42 percent tallied by 710 listed firms on the main bourse, the CGS dat
Oct. 22, 2012
-
Renault Samsung appoints new PR expert
Renault Samsung Motors has scouted a new PR expert. The South Korean unit of French automaker Renault announced last week that it appointed Hwang Eun-young as a new executive in the company’s PR division. Hwang began her post on Monday. After studying at Ewha Womans University’s Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation, Hwang worked at Korea Employers Federation, law firm Kim & Chang, and Fleishman-Hillard Korea, one of the units of the global advertising and communication group Omnicom
IndustryOct. 22, 2012
-
Kang appointed as new Lenovo Korea chief
Lenovo Korea appointed a former HP Korea executive as the company’s new country general manager last week. Kang Yong-nam, who became the new chief of Lenovo Korea, specialized in the personal computer, software, server, storage and IT consulting fields over the past 20 years at Dell and HP. He contributed to the expansion of HP’s market share in South Korea and $100 million sales in PCs while he served as an executive at the company’s Printing Personal System Group. At Lenovo, Kang will be in c
IndustryOct. 22, 2012
-
Korean consumers begin to demand fair deal on imports
When it comes to makeup, 28-year-old office worker Lee Yu-na prefers foreign brands like SK-II, Dior or La Mer instead of Korean brands, especially cheap ones. “Foreign cosmetic brands have a longer history compared to most Korean brands and have been appreciated by women all over the world. It is the company, not the separate brands, that I consider before my purchase, and small companies like those that make cheap local brands seem unreliable,” she said. “I would go for the more expensive one
IndustryOct. 22, 2012
-
S. Korea should lead economic integration in Asia-Pacific region: minister
South Korea should intensify its efforts to integrate economies in the Asia-Pacific region to better capitalize on what many see as the newly-emerging center of the global market, the country's top economic policymaker said Monday."We should keep our policy focus on the Asia-Pacific region, which is emerging as the nucleus of the global economy, so we can spearhead regional economic integration," Finance Minister Bahk Jae-wan told a meeting with other key policymakers.He said the government has
BusinessOct. 22, 2012
-
LG Chem denies reports on U.S. plant operation delay
LG Chem Ltd., the world's largest battery maker, on Monday denied reports by U.S. media outlets that it has delayed starting commercial operation of its American lithium-ion battery plant, thus failing to create jobs and leaving about 200 workers idle. U.S. media outlets including Fox News and Wood TV have reported the factory built using US$150 million of taxpayer funds is putting workers on furlough before a single battery has been produced. "The report is not true," LG Chem said in a statemen
IndustryOct. 22, 2012
-
How do ‘Lotto millionaires’ spend their money?
A group of economists analyzed how 3,000 winners of the Britain’s National Lottery spent their winnings, according to British news reports.According to a study by Oxford Economics, so-called Lotto millionaires won a combined total of 8.5 billion British pounds ($13.6 billion) to date, and have spent 4.74 billion pounds. Among the usual luxuries purchased by the overnight millionaires were cars, hot tubs and houses. The study showed that 10 percent purchased autos, about 33 percent bought a hot t
Oct. 22, 2012
-
S. Korea likely to launch space rocket as scheduled: minister
South Korea plans to go ahead with the scheduled launch of its space rocket this week, at least for now, though weather conditions and other factors may prompt last-minute changes, the science minister said Monday."We have confirmed after considerations of weather conditions and preparations for the launch that the launch will be possible on Oct. 26," Minister of Education, Science and Technology Lee Ju-ho told reporters.The space rocket, the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), is currently s
TechnologyOct. 22, 2012