SOUTH KOREA
August 01, 2017
Several amendments to the Design Protection Act were published on March 21 2017. The amendments will come into effect on September 22 2017. Among others, the grace period is extended from six months to one year and, in order to proof priority, other documents such as the World Intellectual Property Office's Digital Access Service will be valid.
Also, as of March 1, 2017, a patent may be revoked in Korea through a new patent cancellation system which aims at being a more cost-effective alternative to challenge third party patents.