Cho & Partners

What Cho & Partners does

Cho & Partners is a Seoul-headquartered intellectual property law firm founded in 2002 by Tae-Yeon Cho and Ik-Hyun Seo, both formerly of large-firm environments, to deliver a focused, efficient, and responsive IP practice. The firm serves leading multinational corporations across software and technology, retail, luxury goods and fashion, and energy sectors, with named engagements for clients including Louis Vuitton Malletier, Crocs, and Microsoft (including Microsoft's high-value acquisition and consolidation of the Activision Blizzard IP portfolio).

The firm's core offering is organized around trademark-centric IP services: domestic and international prosecution and strategy, enforcement and litigation, anti-counterfeiting programme management, domain name dispute recovery, patent prosecution, and licensing and transactions. Its technology footprint is limited to the operational backbone of a professional services firm; the value is delivered through partner-led judgment and credentials rather than software products. Cho's institutional ties (Mr. Cho on the Korean Internet Address Dispute Resolution Committee, Mr. Seo as a WIPO UDRP panelist) signal policy and dispute-resolution influence.

Commercially, Cho & Partners operates a professional services revenue model with engagement economics typical of premium IP boutiques (hourly rates, fixed fees, and retainers), sourced almost exclusively through high-touch enterprise relationships, legal directory credibility (WTR 1000 Gold in prosecution and enforcement), industry awards, and partner-level referrals. A single Seoul headquarters and a small named team of senior practitioners indicate a deliberately boutique scale; concentration on landmark contentious work and repeat multinational clients is the defining economic characteristic.

Name

Cho & Partners

Legal name

Cho & Partners

Website

https://cholaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cho & Partners is a Seoul-based intellectual property law firm founded in 2002 that represents multinational corporations across technology, retail, luxury, and energy sectors in trademark prosecution, enforcement, litigation, anti-counterfeiting, and domain-name disputes in South Korea.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Legal Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

IP Compliance, Anti-Counterfeiting & Enforcement (BPAHAMAK), IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence (BPAHAMAI)

Keywords

• Intellectual property law
• Trademark prosecution
• Patent litigation
• Anti-counterfeiting enforcement
• Domain name disputes

Headquarters

HQ city

Yeoksamdong

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Prosecution: Trademark and patent prosecution services for domestic and international filings before Korean IP offices and related administrative proceedings.
2. Litigation and Enforcement: IP litigation services including trademark disputes, anti-counterfeiting enforcement, and related court proceedings in South Korea.
3. Licensing and Transactions: Licensing advisory and transaction support for IP portfolios including brand licensing and portfolio acquisitions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cho & Partners is a specialized intellectual property law firm providing trademark and patent prosecution, trademark enforcement and litigation, anti-counterfeiting programs, domain name dispute resolution, and licensing and transaction advisory services in South Korea. The firm represents multinational corporations across software, technology, retail, luxury goods and energy sectors, with founding partners serving as WIPO panelists and members of the Internet Address Dispute Resolution Committee.

Product overview

Cho & Partners is a law firm offering comprehensive intellectual property legal services, not a technology product company. The firm provides a unified set of IP legal services organized around trademark practice areas, including prosecution and strategy, enforcement and litigation, anti-counterfeiting programs, domain name disputes, patent prosecution, and licensing and transactions. These services are delivered by a team of partners and attorneys specializing in IP law, rather than through discrete product modules or software offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trademark Prosecution and Strategy Domestic and international trademark prosecution services before Korean IP offices, including filing strategy and related administrative proceedings for multinational brand owners.
• Trademark Enforcement and Litigation Court representation in trademark disputes and related IP litigation in South Korea, including landmark matters before the Korean Supreme Court, on behalf of multinational clients.
• Anti-Counterfeiting Programs Design and management of large-scale anti-counterfeiting and trademark enforcement programmes for brand owners, among the most active in South Korea.
• Domain Name Dispute Resolution Reclaiming domain name registrations from cybersquatters for trademark owners in Korean and global top-level domain proceedings, leveraging partner roles on WIPO and KISA dispute panels.
• Patent Prosecution Domestic and international patent prosecution services and related disputes and administrative proceedings before Korean IP offices.
• Licensing and Transactions Advisory and transaction support for IP licensing, brand licensing, and IP portfolio acquisitions, including high-value cross-border deals such as Microsoft's acquisition and consolidation of the Activision Blizzard portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully obtained landmark decisions unprecedented in Korea for clients
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered moderate.

• WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerMr. Ik-Hyun Seo serves as a WIPO panelist for global top-level domain name disputes, contributing to the resolution of international domain name conflicts under UDRP procedures.
• Internet Address Dispute Resolution CommitteemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerMr. Tae Yeon Cho serves as an executive member of the Internet Address Dispute Resolution Committee, the government body that administers Korean domain name disputes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Jipyong: Korean full-service law firm with notable IP litigation and trademark practice. Competes for cross-border IP mandates and Korean enforcement work.
• Lee & Ko: Major Korean full-service law firm with a strong IP litigation and prosecution practice. Competes with Cho & Partners for trademark prosecution, enforcement, and litigation work from multinational clients.
• Kim & Chang: Korea's largest and most prominent full-service law firm with a market-leading IP practice. Direct competitor for top-tier Korean IP mandates from multinationals, though operating at much greater scale across all practice areas.
• Yulchon LLC: Top-tier Korean full-service firm with a substantial IP group handling trademark and patent matters. Competes for the same multinational IP mandates as Cho & Partners, but with broader practice coverage.
• Shin & Kim: Major Korean full-service law firm with active IP prosecution and litigation capabilities. Competes for Korean IP mandates from enterprise and multinational clients.
• Yoon & Yang: Established Korean full-service firm with a respected IP practice. Competes for prosecution, litigation, and licensing mandates in the Korean market.
• Bae, Kim & Lee: Leading Korean full-service law firm with a recognized IP practice covering trademark prosecution, litigation, and anti-counterfeiting. A direct competitor for Korean IP enforcement work from multinationals.

Direct peers

• FirstLaw: Korean IP-focused law firm handling trademark prosecution, enforcement, and litigation. Direct peer competing for similar multinational IP mandates in the Korean market.
• HMP Law (Hanmi Patent & Law): Korean IP-specialized firm with deep trademark and patent prosecution expertise. Closest boutique peer in the Korean IP-only segment, competing directly for prosecution and portfolio management work.
• SPC (Sunghyun Patent & Law): Korean boutique IP law firm with trademark and patent capabilities. Comparable in scale and specialization to Cho & Partners, competing for Korean IP mandates from international clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Cho & Partners