The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) receives ex parte reexamination requests under 35 U.S.C. 302 that are directed to patent claims that have also been challenged in interpartes or post-grant review (IPR or PGR) proceedings under 35 U.S.C. 311 and 321. The statut01y estoppel provisions, 35 U.S.C. 315(e)(l) and 325(e)(l), which were effective in 2012 under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (Public Law 112-29, 125 Stat. 284 (2011)), provide that the petitioner in an IPR or PGR of a claim in a patent that results in a final written decision under 35 U.S.C. 318(a) or 328(a), or the real party in interest or privy of the petitioner, may not request or maintain a proceeding before the USPTO with respect to that claim on any ground that the petitioner raised or reasonably could have raised during that IPR or PGR

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With the development and diversified application of digital technology, image design has expanded from physical products to spatial digital designs such as projection interfaces, holographic images, virtual reality, and overlay reality. As a result, the design patent system is facing challenges, prompting many countries to amend their patent regulations and examination standards to expand the scope and applicability of image design protection.

The Ministry of Intellectual Property, led by Minister Kim Yong-sun, announced that it has conducted comprehensive enforcement actions against trademark infringement and counterfeit goods distribution in 2025, resulting in the criminal charge of 388 trademark offenders and the seizure of approximately 143,000 counterfeit items, with an estimated genuine market value of KRW 432.6 billion.