Cosmetics sold online in South Korea have been found to advertise expired patents as still valid and to cite patent numbers that do not exist, in a series of cases involving false intellectual property claims. False claims were most frequent in product lines emphasizing functional effects such as hair loss prevention or specific ingredients.
The Korea Consumer Agency and the Korean Intellectual Property Office said on the 7th that they identified 634 cases of false intellectual property claims after reviewing about 10,000 cosmetics listings on seven major online shopping platforms between May 1 and June 12 this year. The platforms surveyed were NAVER Smart Store, Lotte On, 11st, SSG, Auction, Gmarket and Coupang.
By type of right, false claims involving patents accounted for 626 cases, or 98.7% of the total. False design right claims numbered six cases, or 0.9%, while utility model rights and trademark rights each accounted for one case, or 0.2%.
The most common form of violation was presenting a right that had already expired as if it were still valid. Such cases totaled 514, or 81.1% of the total. Listings citing nonexistent registration numbers followed with 73 cases, or 11.5%, while 30 cases, or 4.7%, involved products described as pending application when no application had been filed.
In addition, 11 cases, or 1.8%, involved rights whose registration had been rejected, and four cases, or 0.6%, described products still under application as already registered. Two...
Cosmetics sold online in South Korea have been found to advertise expired patents as still valid and to cite patent numbers that do not exist, in a series of cases involving false intellectual pro...