The Korea Consumer Agency and the Intellectual Property Office announced on September 7 that a survey on intellectual property rights (IPR) indications for cosmetics sold online revealed a total of 634 cases of false representation, including displaying expired rights as if they were still valid.
From May 1 to June 12, over a period of about six weeks, the Korea Consumer Agency and the Intellectual Property Office jointly examined approximately 10,000 cosmetic product listings across seven online marketplaces (Naver Smart Store, LotteON, 11st, SSG, Auction, Gmarket, Coupang). This investigation was prompted by the fact that cosmetics are often purchased online and applied directly to the body, making accurate information on ingredients, functions, and effects particularly important. Moreover, expressions such as "patented ingredient" could influence consumer purchasing decisions, driving both agencies to launch a joint survey.
Of the 634 violations identified, 626 cases (98.7%) involved false indication of patent rights, followed by 6 cases (0.9%) related to design rights. There was one case each of utility model and trademark rights violations.
By type, the most frequent violation was indicating expired rights as if they were still valid, totaling 514 cases (81.1%). This...
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...