Licensing of IP agents

The Registration Authority is obliged to verify the qualifications of, and issue activity licenses for, specialized patent agents — through an examination administered by the National Organization for Educational Testing — to carry out activities relating to searching, drafting patent documentation, and pursuing patent registration. The Registration Authority may allocate one percent (1%) of its budget to the matter of intellectual property education. The Implementing Regulation of this Article, as well as the regulation on the manner of supervising and addressing the misconduct of agents, shall be prepared by the Registration Authority within six months of the entry into force of this Act and approved by the Head of the Judiciary.

Note — Specialized patent agents do not need to obtain a notarized power of attorney from applicants, and the grant of a power of attorney on the special forms determined under the Implementing Regulation of this Article is sufficient for carrying out registration matters.