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APR enhances ties with UN intellectual property watchdog to protect K-beauty
WIPO Assistant Director General Andrew Staines, fifth from right, poses with APR officials at the company's office in Songpa District, Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of APR
By Ko Dong-hwan
Beauty product and device developer APR met with officials from the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to discuss a partnership aimed at safeguarding technological originality and strengthening their leadership in the global beauty market.
According to APR, WIPO Assistant Director General Andrew Staines and his team visited the Korean firm's headquarters in Songpa District, Seoul, Thursday, and had a meeting with the company's officials in charge of legal and intellectual property.
During the meeting, APR officials explained that the firm has been consistently filing international patents, design and trademark applications under related treaties for its beauty devices.
The officials emphasized to the UN agency that APR has played a leading role in the global expansion of Korea’s beauty industry by introducing innovative technologies, and that establishing a robust global system for intellectual property protection and market-dispute resolution is essential for the industry's continued growth.
APR said WIPO’s latest visit to Seoul shows the organization’s intent to support Korean beauty firms' efforts to protect their intellectual property. The agency has been engaging with other Korean beauty firms in Korea in recent months, and partnered with the Korea's Ministry of Intellectual Property to run an online training course on intellectual property valuation and finance.
“As a global beauty company, the importance of APR’s intellectual property continues to grow," an APR official said. "We hope that cooperation with WIPO will enable APR’s innovative technologies to spread even more securely."
WIPO was established in 1967 as the UN agency responsible for the international protection of intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks and designs. The organization now has 194 member states, with Korea becoming a member in 2004.