Asia IP

The official website tmfive.org dedicated for the trademark offices in China, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the US has been recently launched.

Park Seong-Joon, director general of KIPO’s Trademark and Design Examination Bureau, said “the TM5 website will effectively promote TM5 cooperation and offer a ground for open communication with applicants both at home and abroad.” 

Known as the Trademark 5 (TM5), the applications in the offices account for a total of 70 percent of all trademark and design applications worldwide.

The “TM5″ is a framework through which five IP offices to exchange information on trademark-related matters, and undertake cooperative activities for their mutual benefit, and for the benefit of their respective trademark filers and registrants, as stated on its website.

The website development has been led by the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) along with the Comparative Analysis on Examination Results project.

According to KIPO, patent attorneys and businesses seeking international applications are particularly expected to reap substantial benefits from having easier access to all trademark-related data. 

KIPO is also planning to provide an online forum to allow applicants to get information and make enquiries and proposals regarding the trademark system.