Already a top-notch player in the field of IP, Kim & Chang further strengthened its position in the last year with the additions of Duck Soon Chang from Yoon & Yang, Junghoon Kenneth Oh from Bae Kim & Lee, and Jung-Sik Koh, formerly the Commissioner of KIPO. With more than 200 patent and trade mark attorneys and over 500 more patent engineers and trade mark paralegals, including support staff, the team possesses ample capacity for handling the country's largest cases and clients. The outfit's exhaustive client list includes such well-known names as Philips Korea, BASF, Microsoft, H&M Hennes & Mauritz, and Abercrombie & Fitch Europe.
"I'm very happy with the high quality of its services, and its concrete and experienced advice," says an in-house counsel client in the fashion industry. "It is very good in terms of strategic thinking and analysis." The same client highlights one individual from the firm: "I can definitely recommend Ann Kwon for the high quality of her advice, which is very client and result-oriented."
Daewoo Electronics sought the firm's guidance in an injunction and damages claim action, as well as in invalidation actions, against LG Electronics. The team showed that the opponent's patented inventions relating to drum washers lacked inventive step and the Supreme Court ruled the patents invalid, reversing both the earlier IP Tribunal and Patent Court decisions.
"They have been excellent to us," says an in-house counsel in the pharmaceutical sector. "They are innovative at analysing situations and are pro-active in thinking about the matter. The team was available and very attentive."
In a pending matter, Sung Nam Kim and Hoe Kee Lee advised General Mills Marketing in appeals against the IP Tribunal's dismissal of invalidation actions filed against the Häagendess 1881 and Häagendess marks.
Head of IP practice Jay Young-June Yang and Man-Gi Paik, who leads the patent prosecution group, are lauded by peers for their extensive knowledge of the field, while US attorneys Chun Yang and Jay Kim are also highly recommended.