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Kakao Files for Trademarks Across the Board… Adds Intellectual Property Management to Corporate Business Objectives

[비즈한국] Kakao035720 has recently been actively engaged in a race to secure new trademark rights. Since the beginning of this year, Kakao has filed for new trademarks across a wide range of sectors, from real estate leasing to consumer goods, food, and marketing. In July alone, it filed for three new trademarks and newly added the management of intellectual property rights, including trademarks, and licensing businesses to its corporate business objectives.

Between June and July, Kakao filed a series of trademarks including 'KakaoKAMP', 'FrienDay', 'Matsamchun', and 'KakaoTalk Brand Pick'. The number of trademarks Kakao has filed for this year alone reaches 20.

The new trademark 'KakaoKAMP', filed on July 24, was registered under classification 36 (real estate leasing, etc.) and 43 (venue leasing for meetings, etc.). Designated products include △real estate leasing, △office space leasing, and △coworking office leasing. It has filed for trademarks related to business spaces such as office leasing. However, it is reported that there are currently no concrete plans to enter new businesses such as office rentals.

On the 1st, the 'FrienDay' trademark was broadly registered under classifications 08, 11, 14, 16, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, and 35. Aimed at daily consumer goods, the designated products cover a wide range including △humidifiers, △showerheads, △cooking utensils, and △accessories.

The 'Matsamchun' trademark, filed on July 11, is also notable. Matsamchun is the name of the goods lineup for 'Choonsik', which is already being sold by Kakao Friends.

In addition, the 'KakaoTalk Brand Pick' trademark was registered on the 24th of last month under classifications 09, 35, 36, 38, and 42. Designated products include △downloadable mobile gift certificates, △brand management services, and △recommendation marketing services.

Regarding the trademark filings, Kakao stated, "The filing of new trademark rights is being carried out as a preemptive measure."

Kakao appears to be actively securing intellectual property rights by filing for trademarks in various fields recently. In particular, it specified trademark management as a corporate business purpose starting this year. On March 26, Kakao changed its business objectives on its corporate registry from "brokerage of copyrights and neighboring rights" to "brokerage of copyrights and neighboring rights, and management and licensing of intellectual property rights including brands and trademarks."

Kakao's method of securing trademark rights reflects current industry trends. In the past, companies often did not renew trademarks for brands that were no longer in use. Trademark filings were also primarily conducted for brands that had concrete usage plans or were core products. This is because there are continuous costs and management burdens involved in filing, registering, and renewing trademarks.

However, there has been a recent increase in companies looking to secure trademarks in advance, regardless of whether they will actually be commercialized. The trend is to file for trademarks not only for major brands but also for specific product lines.

Yoon Shin-woo, a representative patent attorney at Biz & Patent Law Firm, explained, "It is true that corporate trademark filings have increased significantly recently. As awareness of trademark rights has risen and actual dispute cases have persisted, there is a trend of preemptively filing for trademarks in various areas to block potential risks, regardless of whether a new business is being launched. In particular, since the cost of filing a trademark itself is relatively low, if the budget is secured, there is a growing tendency to meticulously file for various items such as 'server names', 'stationery', 'goods', and 'names of platforms exclusive to employees'."

However, since a trademark will expire if it is not actually used for three years or more after registration, continuous management is required. Costs are also consistently incurred from the preparation of the application to the renewals for maintenance. Ultimately, one can only fully enjoy the benefits of securing trademark rights by having a long-term management system in place. Patent attorney Yoon Shin-woo pointed out, "A trademark must meet legal requirements that go beyond simply 'registering a name'. If a trademark is merely a simple phrase and lacks distinctiveness, it may become subject to a 'cancellation due to non-use' or an 'invalidation trial', so caution is necessary."