As of April 20, 2022, the revisios to the South Korea Patent Act (KPA) became effective. The major changes include:
1. A longer period for responding to a final rejection;
2. An expanded window for requesting re-examination even after allowance;
3. A new separate application system; and
4. Relaxed requirements for reviving lapsed rights.
Response period for final rejection lengthened from 30 days to three months.
Under the previous KPA, a period of 30 days was provided for responding to a final rejection by filing an appeal, a request for re-examination, or a divisional or converted application. Read more