Starting in November, startups founded by young entrepreneurs and patents related to artificial intelligence data centers and physical AI will see their examination wait times cut to within one month. Companies will be able to confirm early whether their core technologies can be registered as patents, which is expected to accelerate investment and commercialization.
The Korea Intellectual Property Administration said on the 15th that it is expanding the scope of its ultra-fast patent examination program to include startups founded by young entrepreneurs and the AI data center and physical AI sectors. The program shortens the time to receive a first examination result to within one month. Introduced in October last year, it was first applied to the secondary battery and semiconductor sectors, and its scope was broadened in February this year to cover AI and biotechnology startups.
Under the latest expansion, startups founded by young entrepreneurs will be able to apply for ultra-fast examination regardless of their technology field. AI data centers and physical AI were added to support the rapid securing of rights for core national technologies. However, annual support for AI data centers and physical AI has been capped at about 4,000 cases. Detailed eligibility criteria and application requirements are scheduled to be announced in November.
The office has been steadily expanding the program to help companies receive examination results quickly and speed up research and development, investment and commercialization. Last year, the average examination wait time across all technology fields was 14.7 months. AI took 21.3 months and biotechnology 19.9 months, or 6.6 months and 5.2 months longer than the overall average, respectively. The more intense the technological competition in a field, the longer companies waited for examination results.
Securing a patent quickly at home through ultra-fast examination also helps protect related technologies effectively overseas. Based on patents obtained early in Korea, companies can use the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program to obtain patents quickly in the United States, China, Japan and other countries.
Companies that have used the program have sharply reduced the time needed to receive a first examination result. One bio-medical venture firm, which uses AI to analyze images of cancer tissue and assist with diagnosis, applied for ultra-fast examination on 14 patent applications and received its first examination result in 27 days. The company plans to use the outcome to move up its market entry.
Small and medium-sized enterprises have been notable beneficiaries. From October last year through August this year, a total of 1,284 applications for ultra-fast examination were filed. About 60% came from small and medium-sized enterprises, the largest share, followed by large companies at 20% and individuals at 14.7%.
"For startups, patents are more than a simple right — they are a key asset for attracting investment, entering markets and growing the business," said Jung Yeon-woo, deputy head of the Korea Intellectual Property Administration. "Going forward, we will expand support to startups founded by young entrepreneurs and to core national technologies, so that innovative ideas can be turned into rights quickly and lead to commercialization."
