Patent Attorney’s Day

(I.P. News published by the Korean Patent Attorneys Association on May 25, 2025)

  Myung-Shin Kim, Adviser

The Korean Patent Attorneys Association

At the regular general meeting of the Korean Patent Attorneys Association (KPAA) held in February 2025, it was resolved, in accordance with the consensus of its members, to designate June 26—the founding date of the Chosun Patent Attorneys Association—as “Patent Attorney’s Day.”

Following this resolution, the KPAA is currently accepting nominations for awards in several categories to commemorate the 1st Patent Attorney’s Day.

Although Invention Day was established under Article 5 of the Invention Promotion Act and is now marking its 60th anniversary, history shows that commendations have mainly been given to inventors and their affiliated organizations. In contrast, the contributions of patent attorneys, who have transformed inventions into industrial property rights, have been relatively underappreciated. From this perspective, the establishment of Patent Attorney’s Day is a significant step forward.

Meanwhile, April 25 has been designated as “Law Day” under Presidential Decree No. 6615 (Regulations on National Commemorative Days, 1973), with the Ministry of Justice and the Korean Bar Association jointly organizing nationwide commemorations involving lawyers, judges, and prosecutors. In addition, a 2024 proposed amendment to the Certified Tax Accountant Act (Article 20-4) designates September 9 as “Tax Accountant’s Day,” and since 2020, “Accounting Day” has been commemorated annually on October 31, as prescribed in Article 38-2 of the Act on External Audit of Stock Companies, among others.

As these commemorative days—Law Day, Accounting Day, and Tax Accountant’s Day—are all based on either statutory law or presidential decrees, it would be advisable for the KPAA, which has continued its legacy for 79 years since the founding of the Chosun Patent Attorneys Association in 1946, to also establish a legal basis for Patent Attorney’s Day under the Patent Attorney Act to receive official recognition.

Alternatively, like Law Day, Patent Attorney’s Day could be established by presidential decree. Another option would be to utilize the existing Invention Day, which already has a 60-year history, not only to recognize inventors but also to actively include patent attorneys as award recipients. This would serve to emphasize both inventors and patent attorneys as the two key pillars supporting the industrial property rights system, thereby promoting greater public awareness. Such efforts would also align with the fundamental objectives of the Framework Act on Intellectual Property.