Hanbok, soju and kimbab added to global trademark list

The Korean Intellectual Property Office said Monday that six Korean product names will be added to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Nice classification in June.

The Nice Classification, established in the French port city of Nice in 1957, is a classification system that lists trademarks of products and services used internationally.

It is updated every five years and has been ratified by 91 countries.

KIPO proposed to add 10 names of Korean products at the WIPO committee of experts meeting in April, but only six were approved.

The newly added product names are hanbok, soju, gochujang, doenjang, kimbab and makgeolli. Businesses will be able to designate these words to trademark their products starting 2023, said KIPO.

“The registration of these Korean product names reflects the elevated status of South Korea due to K-culture,” said director of Trademark and Design Examination Bureau at KIPO Mok Seong-ho.

By Lee Seung-ku (seungku99@heraldcorp.com)