Korea's Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP) opened a legislative notice on 21 September for a proposed partial amendment to the Enforcement Rule of the Design Protection Act, with comments invited until 2 November. The proposal would substantially reduce the material required for typeface design applications: for Hangul typefaces, designated characters would fall from 500 to 209 and drawings from five to two; for Chinese-character typefaces, designated characters would fall from 900 to 310 and drawings from nine to two. MOIP says the change is intended to retain the structural information needed to identify design features while removing duplication, easing applicants' drafting burden and reducing corrections or supplements during filing and examination.
The proposal would also strengthen guidance on compatibility checks before 3D drawings are filed. Applicants should confirm that a 3D model displays correctly in the viewer used for examination; if a file cannot be opened or parts of the design do not display properly, another 3D file or 2D drawings may be used instead. J&C recommends adding examiner-side rendering to the pre-filing checklist whenever 3D files are used for Korean design applications and keeping a workable 2D fallback. The amendment is still at the legislative-notice stage and will require further legal review and promulgation before taking effect, so the final text and effective date should be checked against the formal rules.
