Strong measures are taken such as the recommendation of stopping production and sales for products that imitate the idea of product type and a business appearance by infringing ideas of small, venture, start-up etc. in the future. The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced on May 5 that it recommended to Mom Love, a company that imitated and produced a substitute meal product developed by Ignis, a new small business, to stop production and sale of the product.
We also recommended that we stop selling to Homeplus, which bought and sold the food.
This measure is the first detection case after amending the Unfair Competition Prevention Act to grant permission to investigate and correct the unfair competition behavior in order to block the idea of social underage.
The patent research, a product named among mother love 'banhada meals "that mimics the rap noswi" Since August of this year with Igniz founded in 2015 been selling meal replacement shake products called' lab noswi 'since last September, Production, and sales.
The KIPO decided that the two products, as well as individual elements such as container form, shrink label design attached to the container, and powdered contents, as well as the combined form of these elements, were the same.
The KIPO plans to file a complaint with investigative agencies such as the police and prosecutors if it does not fulfill the recommendation for discontinuing production and sales in the past 30 days.
Along with this, it decided to strengthen the enforcement investigation on the imitation of the commodity type. To prevent damage, such as start-up SMEs due to the form of imitation goods is also increasing survey dedicated workforce, it will also promote the planning and ex officio investigation of the commodity form to emulating a particular behavior of industries, including many food and clothing.
From January next year, it will also operate a counterfeit goods report center and will rescue companies affected by unfair competition.
The KIPO hopes that this measure will reduce the imitation of commodities that are pervasive in the market, such as "Me-Too" products in the food industry.
The Intellectual Property Office Deputy said "commodity form imitating behavior cost and effort without the unfair act of free riding on the market occupancy gains of the preceding Developer" "Forward commodity form imitating behavior, as well as sales Exterior imitation, ideas, deodorant, etc. unfair competition in various forms I will strengthen the crackdown against him, "he said.