K-brand IP protection MoU signed with Shopee

Intellectual property (IP) infringement issues have grown in tandem with the global e-commerce market, which expanded in value from US$2.9 T in 2018 to US$5.8 T in 2023, an average annual growth rate of 14.6%. According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), intellectual property infringement cases through e-commerce increased approximately 2.5x in 2023 compared to 2018. The Asian and Latin American regions showed the highest proportion of counterfeit product distribution. Korean products have become major targets due to their brand value and scarcity. 

The Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency (KOIPA) has been particularly concerned. According to an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, the scale of counterfeit products infringing Korean companies' IP rights reached approximately US$9.7 B globally as of 2021, equivalent to 1.5% of Korea's total exports. This resulted in Korean companies losing sales of US$6.1 B, and the loss of 13,855 manufacturing jobs. 

This has led to work with major e-commerce platforms like Shopee as they play a crucial role in strengthening K-brand protection. KOIPA's Director Kim Yong-seon recently announced that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at Shopee's Singapore headquarters on June 24. Building upon the original MOU signed in 2020, this renewed agreement encompasses significantly expanded cooperation to protect Korean brands and sellers in the region, including offline enforcement linkages for fundamental solutions to counterfeit product distribution. 

The MOU consists of three major cooperation areas: 

Strengthening the response system for intellectual property infringement of Korean brands

Shopee will collaborate with KOIPA to provide easy access for monitoring and reporting of suspected IP infringements involving Korean brands, in accordance with agreed protocols.

Offline enforcement collaboration to block counterfeit product distribution 

To overcome the limitations of online anti-counterfeit enforcement and to strengthen efforts to prevent the distribution of counterfeit goods, both parties agree to explore and implement joint response measures when necessary.

Expand educational activities to raise awareness of intellectual property protection 

Both organisations plan to jointly conduct education and awareness-raising activities to improve intellectual property protection consciousness among both sellers and consumers. 

Kim emphasised: "We are pleased to establish a cooperation system for K-brand protection with Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. We will actively support our companies' overseas expansion and export activities by expanding cooperation with other major global e-commerce platforms.”

“Shopee is proud to renew and strengthen our partnership with KOIPA to better safeguard Korean brands in our region,” said Ian Ho, VP at Shopee. 

“As e-commerce continues to grow, it is more important than ever to work closely with trusted partners like KOIPA to enhance IP enforcement and build a secure and trustworthy environment for all users.”

Source: Shopee. Changho Son, Director General of KOIPA (left) and Ian Ho, VP at Shopee (right) at the MoU signing on 24 June 2025 at Shopee Singapore. The MoU covers the strengthening of IP protection for Korean brands in Southeast Asia and Taiwan.

Landrush for .global, .website and .press domain names today

Online brand expert IP Mirror has announced that several top level domain (TLD) names will be in the landrush phase as of August 27 Singapore time (GMT +8). 

During the 'sunrise' phase for a domain name, trademark owners have an opportunity to register their trademarks, whereas others can come in during the landrush phase to obtain any of the remaining available names at a premium.  

According to the company, .global as the domain descriptor implies a property which reaches an international audience. The landrush phase for the domain name is between 27 August and 4 September, after which registration opens up to the general public on a first-come-first-served basis on 9 September.

The top level domains .website and .press are also beginning their landrush phases on 27 August. 

India boosts intellectual property infrastructure

India's Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the extension of strategies to modernise and strengthen intellectual property (IP) offices during the period of the 12th Plan, which runs from 2012 to 2017. The overall project cost would be Rs309.6 crore*, of which Rs258 crore will be spent during 12th Plan and Rs51.6 crore in the 13th Plan.
The move was driven by the growing importance of intellectual property in a globalised economic environment, India’s accession to the Madrid Protocol in April 2013 and the operationalisation of the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM) as the International Search Authority/International Preliminary Examining Authority (ISA/IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty from October, 2013.

In the 12th five year plan the focus will be on the enhancement of human resources, upgrading of IT and databases, building construction, improvement of library facilities and awareness building of intellectual property rights.

During the 11th five-year plan, a new complex for IP archives and the TM registry at Ahmedabad were constructed, as was the ISA/IPEA building in New Delhi. An ICT infrastructure was created including a data centre, servers, digitisation of IP records, and e-filing for patents and trademarks.

*10 million.

Asian trademarks in a globalised world

Brands from emerging economies do not have the luxury today of taking decades to establish an international reputation, said panelists during the International Trademark Association's (INTA's) 136th annual meeting, it was reported in a newsletter published by IP Mirror, a domain name registry which also offers cloud hosting services and brand protection.

Source: INTA website.

According to IP Mirror, some of the suggested options for Asian brands focused on global expansion that were discussed at the event in early May in Hong Kong include:

• Adapting localised products for the international market while maintaining trademarks in the new markets.
• Spending more time and money on establishing what the brands represent, as most Asian brand names are likely unheard of, so paying attention to how the mark is presented and what message it invokes is just as important as what name is being registered.
• Buying overseas trademarks to gain access to new channels to market to foreign shoppers, or bringing those brands back home to local consumers seeking established overseas brands. 

"As with any expansion, getting the appropriate localised or regionalised domain names help to secure your online brand in the respective markets," said the company in the newsletter.

INTA separately announced that wage premiums in industries with intensive intellectual property rights (IPR) are significantly higher when compared with other industries: 41% in the European Union* and 42% in the US**.

"Innovation supports millions of jobs worldwide… but only when it is protected by IP rights,” said INTA President Mei-lan Stark (Fox Entertainment Group, US). “Today, the most successful economies, fuelled by the most highly paid workforces, are those in which innovation is encouraged and IP rights are protected.”

INTA coverage on World Intellectual Property Review can be viewed here. New Legal Review did an INTA 2014 roundup here.

*Intellectual property rights intensive industries: contribution to economic performance and employment in the European Union published by the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) and the European Patent Office in 2013.

**IP and the US economy – industries in focus published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2012. published by the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) and the European Patent Office in 2013.