PARK, KIM & PARTNER

What PARK, KIM & PARTNER does

PARK, KIM & PARTNER (박장원특허법률사무소) is a Seoul-based, privately held intellectual property law firm founded in 1983 as PARK & ASSOCIATES and renamed in 1984. The firm operates from a single Gangnam headquarters (Venus Building, 2F for domestic and 3F for foreign clients) and delivered full-spectrum IP services as of 2019: patent, utility model, design, trademark, copyright, semiconductor layout design, and plant variety registration; opposition and trial/litigation representation before the Patent Court and Supreme Court; international filing via the Paris Convention, PCT, and Madrid Protocol; prior-art search and freedom-to-operate analysis; licensing and contract negotiation; and warning-letter and damages-claim advisory. The firm covers approximately 90 countries for international IP rights management and the team of 106 members includes 22 patent attorneys plus a US attorney, a US patent attorney, and an Australian trademark attorney.

The client base is dominated by large Korean enterprises and government research institutes, with multi-decade retainers from LG Electronics (since 1983), the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (since 1983), the Agency for Defense Development (since 1984 with security clearance), KAIST (since 1997), Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (since 2010), Doosan Heavy Industries (since 2011), and Korea Electric Power Corporation (since 2018). The firm also serves SMEs and individual inventors. Distribution is exclusively direct: in-person or phone consultation at the Seoul office, email inquiries, and a multilingual website (Korean/English/Japanese). Revenue is generated through professional service fees across filing, prosecution, trial, litigation, and licensing work; no pricing is publicly disclosed. The firm has received multiple government recognitions (Prime Minister Model Taxpayer Commendation 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Model Taxpayer Commendation 2007, KIPO Commissioner commendation 1998) and was awarded a KIPO policy research contract on IP5 registration systems in 2016. There is no evidence of external capital, M&A activity, subsidiaries, or AI/technology productization.

Name

PARK, KIM & PARTNER

Legal name

박장원특허법률사무소

Website

https://koreapat.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Short description

PARK, KIM & PARTNER is a Seoul-based Korean patent law firm founded in 1983, providing full-spectrum IP services — patent, trademark, design, trial, litigation, and international filing across ~90 countries — to Korean conglomerates, state-owned enterprises, government research institutes, and foreign clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Yeoksamdong

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. IP Registration and Filing Services: The firm charges fees for preparing and filing patent, utility model, design, and trademark registration applications with the Korean Patent Office and international bodies. This encompasses domestic filings, international filings under Paris Treaty/PCT/Madrid Protocol, and related procedural handling including examination requests, early publication requests, and amendments.
2. Opposition, Trial, and Litigation Services: Fees for representing clients in opposition proceedings, patent trials (invalidation, scope confirmation, correction, cancellation), trial取消 lawsuits, rights infringement injunctions, and damages claims before the Patent Court and Supreme Court.
3. Licensing, Contract, and Advisory Services: Fees for licensing negotiations and contracts for patents and trademarks, including exclusive and non-exclusive license agreements, pledge setup registration, and infringement warning letters. Also includes general IP advisory services.
4. IP Search and Evaluation: Charges for prior art searches, freedom-to-operate assessments, infringement opinions, and valuation reports. Also covers semiconductor layout design registration, computer program registration, and annual fee management for patents and trademarks.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

PARK, KIM & PARTNER is a Korean intellectual property law firm that delivers registration, prosecution, opposition, trial, litigation, search/evaluation, licensing, and advisory services across patents, utility models, designs, trademarks, copyrights, semiconductor layout designs, plant varieties, and computer programs. Services span domestic filings before the Korean Intellectual Property Office and international filings in approximately 90 countries via the Paris Convention, PCT, and Madrid Protocol.

Product overview

PARK, KIM & PARTNER is a mid-sized Korean intellectual property law firm offering comprehensive IP services. The firm provides a full portfolio of registration and prosecution services for patents, utility models, designs, and trademarks, both domestically and internationally through PCT, Paris Convention, and Madrid Protocol channels. The firm also handles trial/appeal proceedings, litigation, oppositions, and specialized registrations for copyrights, semiconductor layouts, and plant varieties. Information search, licensing negotiation, and contract services round out the offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patent Registration Services
• Utility Model Registration Services
• Design Registration Services
• Trademark/Service Mark Registration Services
• International Filing Services
• Opposition Services
• Trial and Appeal Services
• Litigation Services
• Copyright Registration Services
• Semiconductor Layout Design Registration
• Plant Variety Registration
• Information Search Services
• Licensing and Contract Services
• Warning Letter Services

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Korea Electric Power Corporation (한국전력공사)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Selected as the industrial property rights operation contractor for Korea Electric Power Corporation's power generation technology domain since 2018.
• Korea University (고려대학교)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Participated as a selected vendor in Korea University's 'IP High-endization Project' in 2017, supporting the university's intellectual property strategy and management.
• Korean Intellectual Property Office (특허청)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Awarded a policy research contract by KIPO in 2016 to conduct 'Comparative Study on Registration Systems of Major IP5 Countries (IP5 주요국 등록제도 비교연구)', supporting government IP policy development.
• Doosan Heavy Industries (주식회사 두산중공업)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Selected as intellectual property filing and registration agency for Doosan Heavy Industries since 2011, managing the heavy industry's IP portfolio.
• Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (한국원자력연구소)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Selected as intellectual property filing and registration agency for Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute since 2010.
• Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST, 한국과학기술원)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Designated as the dedicated patent law office for KAIST's intellectual property filings and registrations since 1997, supporting the university's research output and technology transfer activities.
• Agency for Defense Development (ADD, 국방과학연구소)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1984Received security clearance and selected as intellectual property filing and registration agency for the Agency for Defense Development since 1984.
• LG Electronics (엘지전자)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1983Selected as the intellectual property filing and registration agency for LG Electronics since 1983. The firm handles all domestic and international IP filings and registrations for the electronics conglomerate.
• Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO, 한국특허청)minorOthersListed as a related IP organization on the firm's website; KIPO is the primary government agency regulating and overseeing IP matters in South Korea.
• Korean Intellectual Property Information Center (KIPI, 한국특허정보원)minorOthersListed as a related IP organization on the firm's website.
• Korean Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI, 한국과학기술정보研究院)minorOthersListed as a related IP organization on the firm's website.
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO, 세계지식재산기구)minorOthersReferenced for international filing systems including PCT and Madrid Protocol; WIPO's International Bureau handles international trademark registrations under the Madrid Protocol.
• US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO, 미국특허청)minorOthersListed as a related patent office for international filing; the firm handles US patent filings for Korean clients.
• European Patent Office (EPO, 유럽특허청)minorOthersListed as a related patent office for international filing; the firm handles European patent filings for Korean clients via the EPC system.
• Japanese Patent Office (JPO, 일본특허청)minorOthersListed as a related patent office for international filing; the firm handles Japanese patent filings for Korean clients.
• China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA, 중국국가지식재산국)minorOthersListed as a related patent office for international filing; the firm handles Chinese patent filings for Korean clients.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Yoon & Yang: Korean full-service law firm with a strong IP practice serving domestic and international clients. Comparable breadth of IP services and similar large-corporate client orientation.
• Bae, Kim & Lee (BKL): One of Korea's largest law firms with a substantial IP and technology practice. Comparable in serving chaebols and multinationals on patent prosecution, litigation, and cross-border IP strategy.
• Y.P. Lee & Partners (YPLP): Korea-based patent and law firm specializing in IP prosecution, litigation, and licensing. Closest like-for-like Korean mid-sized IP-focused firm with international filing capability and corporate client base.
• FirstLaw Patent & Law Firm: Korean patent law firm offering patent prosecution, trials, and international IP services. Comparable mid-sized IP-only peer with similar client mix of Korean corporates and international filings.
• Hanol Intellectual Property Law Firm: Korean IP-specialist firm handling patent prosecution, trials, and international IP filings. Comparable size category and service mix to PARK, KIM & PARTNER as a domestic IP boutique.
• Lee International (IP & Legal): Established Korean IP firm with deep patent prosecution, trademark, and litigation experience. Comparable mid-to-large Korean IP firm serving global corporates with international IP portfolio management.
• Lee & Ko: Major Korean full-service law firm with a significant IP and patent litigation practice. Comparable target market (large Korean corporates, foreign multinationals) and similar full-spectrum IP services including prosecution, trial, and litigation.
• AJU Kim & Company: Korean IP law firm providing patent, trademark, and design services with international filing capability. Closely comparable mid-sized Korean IP firm with similar prosecution and litigation offerings.
• Kim & Chang: Korea's largest and most prominent full-service law firm with the country's leading IP practice. Directly comparable as a Korean legal/IP firm serving major conglomerates, but at materially greater scale (hundreds of attorneys) and broader practice coverage.

Others

• KIPO (Korean Intellectual Property Office): Korean government regulator overseeing patent, trademark, and design registration. Not a competitor but a critical ecosystem reference — the firm maintains listed-partner status with KIPO and benefits from government-designated agency relationships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PARK, KIM & PARTNER