[Contribution] Taejon is a patent town in the making

The relocation of the Korean Patent Law Court to the city of Taejon and the establishment of a graduate course of study in Patent Law at Choong Nam University are momentous events toward the formation of the Taejon Patent Town.

Currently, Taejon is a city boasting a network of such specialized and advanced organizations and complexes as the Taedok Science Town, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the Patent Office and the National Institute of International Patents. Such systematized support through a localized network of organizations related to patent law, patent administration, patent research, patent-based enterprise, and related education is truly unique, both domestic and internationally.

As we have entered into the 21st century and found ourselves in an information society, we cannot stress enough the importance of scientific and technological patents. Being in an advantageous location at the heart of the Korean Peninsula, the city of Taejon is ready to launch into the international arena in its quest to become the heart of the international information society.

However, as the international competitive edge in technology and patents has taken on a renewed urgency, the current condition of Taejon has inherent weaknesses in patent research and patent-based production. In the case of patent-based industry, the recent explosion of start-up enterprises in the area of communication and biotechnology is giving hope of a great boon. However, in the area of patent research, it would not be an exaggeration to say that a state of vacuum exists.

In the case of the city of Muelheim, Germany, the world-class Max Planck Institute of Intellectual Properties Law has successfully lured the European Patent Office to its city limits. As such, Europe possesses a truly world-class patent town. In addition, the city boasts the German Patent Office, the German Federal Patent Law Court, the headquarters of the association of patent lawyers, and the research and development arms of such mega-industries s the BMW and Siemens. The city has become one of unequaled competitive edge in the area of the patent and patent technology.

The city of Taejon has eyed the city of Muelheim in its bid to become another world-class patent town. However, the heart of such a city must be the research institute for intellectual properties. With such an institute serving as the engine, the peripheral organizations and industries might add to the synergetic total, as all are taken to a new level of functionality. To become the center of a patent industry in the Far East and thereby become the engine of the Asian economy in the 21st century, the Taejon patent town must secure a greater competitive edge.

It is our true-felt hope that we have the wisdom and resources to establish such an institute of research and place Taejon on a course toward its place as a patent giant and as an envy of the world.