“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 something complicated and extensive which we see only on news and TV. We may not be aware that a pair of cool basketball shoes your nephew wants for Christmas is armed with a bundle of intellectual property. We may not be aware that your favorite musical that you laughed and cried over last week with your mother or Psy’s “Gangnam Style” and its viral went video is “stylized” with a bundle of intellectual property. We may not be aware that the cold medicine which saved your last night’s sleep is a bundle of intellectual property. Intellectual property is closer to our daily lives than we think and these bundles of intellectual property are created by “the minds of people.”

How timely and appropriate that such “minds of people” gather here in Seoul where “creations of the mind” are indeed abundant. The Seoul AIPPI 2012 43rd World Intellectual Property Congress is taking place from Saturday until Tuesday at COEX. Being the world’s oldest global intellectual property association dating back to 1897, the association combines the old tradition with the progressive spirit. And so does Seoul, a city embraced with the enigmatic combination of traditional spirit and progressive edginess. The congress program covers arrays of different current IP issues that stimulate our intellectual minds. The cultural evening program at the historic Bongeunsa temple will offer a peace of mind to participants regardless of their religious belief due to its serene surrounding. And the social networking opportunity offered to 2,000 participants of this conference will surely help the attendees to renew old friendship among colleagues and friends and bind new friendships among working colleagues.

I hope that participants will leave this conference not only with sharpened minds along with new and renewed friendships but also with the beautiful mind behind such “creations of the mind.” And for the people who are generous to read my article I hope that they will have a moment to ponder that our daily lives are surrounded with beautiful creations of mind of people including the newspaper you are reading. We create, in fact, creations of the beautiful mind.

By Sun R. Kim, Director, Legal and IP of Sungjoo/ MCM Group
Chair, IUGT Committee of LES International