Korean IP Style in SE Asia

IP Komodo has reported the growth in IP interest from the developed world and China in South East Asia. Now comes a new player. South Korea is paying attention to the ASEAN region as its highly successful domestic IP is exported overseas.
 

South Korea's most well-known IP includes entertainment copyrights in K-POP music and the 2012 dance hit Gangnam Style as well as film, games and soap opera TV series. They are part of a Korean wave that is making the Korean government pay attention to the massive revenues their creative content industries can generate.

So the Republic of Korea's Korea Copyright Commission (KCC) has opened two satellite offices in the Philippines and in Thailand to help protect its copyrights. The KCC's goals there are to promote lawful consumption of copyrighted Korean works, educate consumer and artists, as well as collecting royalties. The latest news is that last week the KCC signed an agreement with Vietnam increase collaboration in copyright protection.

 

IP Komodo observes that there is a rapidly increasing number of foreign governemntal IP officers based in ASEAN now, reflecting the global interest in Asia's next IP frontier. The Republic of Korea brings yet another dimension.