1. Signs of business model patent dispute

There are clear signs of business model patent disputes among such Internet businesses as finance, marketing, and manufacture e-commerce companies.

This is because numerous BM patents (i.e., internet book sales) are scheduled to be registered from this fall, and related companies are focusing their attention.

BM patents are subject to dispute because no country has a specific system for them yet while BM patents proliferate from finance to manufacturing.

For example, Webcash, a finance special venture company, applied for patent of BM that connects virtual Internet account to real mother account.

The system that Webcash applied for a patent is already in wide use in all the banks in Korea, so the patent registration of the system will cause serious patent infringement disputes within the domestic banking circles.

Hanvitbank and H&CB objected to Korean Intellectual Property Office regarding the application of Webcash.

Also, regarding an online education program that Samsung Electronics has already registered, other online education companies are instituting legal proceedings to Intellectual Property Court, requesting that the program was already considered customary.

Cyberlink and Worldposting, the two competing companies, now have patent disputes with the system that delivers direct mail from virtual post office on the web.

2. Three-dimensional image scanner for patent application

Ultra speed three-dimensional scanner that made a three-dimensional image easy to produce was developed.

Solutionix (C.E.O. Chang, Min-Ho. www.solutionix.com), a three-dimensional solution development company, announced that they would start sale of "Easy Scan", a device that can obtain high quality of 100,000 of three-dimensional data.

The most outstanding feature of Easy Scan is that it helps to produce three-dimensional images easily and rapidly.

Three-dimensional scanners currently sold picture three-dimensional object in approximately 10 to 15 minutes, whereas Easy Scan can do the same job in 0.7 second.

Another remarkable feature of Easy Scan is that the new scanner operates computer-aided automatic three-dimensional materialization, a process that eliminates handwork.

Solutionix explains that one can dramatically reduce the time consumed in photographing and can obtain pictures with doubled quality. Solutinix applied for both domestic and international technology patents.

3. Expectations of loyalty from MPEG related patents.

Korean businesses, academic circles, and institutes developed latest MPEG related technologies that are decided as international standards, a situation which will entail prior occupation of such multi-media contents market as IMT 2000, e-commerce, conversational digital broadcasting along with considerable royalty income from overseas companies.

After collecting information from the 57th ISO MPEG Technology Standards Division meetings, Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy announced Aug. 2nd that 26 technologies including moving pictures color and images textures are on the final phase of being confirmed as international standards.

Consequently, Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy remarked a great amount of technology exports and royalties are expected in the near future as the technologies are commercialized.

Mr. Lee, Sang-Joon, researcher at Technology Standard Institute in the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy said, "As Korean MPEG-related technologies are integrated into international standards, patent registration and commercialization of those technologies will entail considerable amount of royalties.

● MPEG: a performance group of ISO/IEC JTCI (International Standardization Organization / International Electronics Commission Joint Technical Committee and acronym of Moving Picture Expert Group. MPEG is categorized as MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-7, and MPEG-21.

4. Development of gastritis and gastric ulcer cure eggs.

Attention is given to the development of eggs that prevent and cure gastritis and gastric ulcer.

Kyungsangbuk-do animal husbandry technology institute announced on 7th August that they developed eggs that prevent and cure gastritis and gastric ulcer in cooperation with Prof. Bae, Jong-Man at Kyungsan University.

The research team succeeded in manipulating the yellow so that the yolk of an egg can produce IGY (Immunoglobin Yolk), a gastritis and gastric ulcer prevention and cure idiosubstance.

The manipulation was designed from the fact that gastric ulcer is caused by "helicobacter pylori" and thus to produce IGY that controls helicobacter pylori.

The research team announced, "We injected IGY into native hens and then raised them with specially produced feed. The laid eggs contain 29% less cholesterol and 50% more DHA"

Animal husbandry technology institute decided to conduct a clinical testing of 60 to 80 gastric ulcer patients in cooperation with Dr. Seo, Jung-Il at Dongguk University in Kyungju.

5. Patent application of an emesis restrainer

Korea United Pharm., Inc. (CEO Kang, Duk-Young) started to develop "ondansetron" an emesis restrainer, and "terajosin" prostatomegaly and hypertension cure.

Korea United Pharm., Inc announced 6th Aug. that they applied for patent of "ondansetron" a medicine that controls emesis occurring in anticancer drugs administration.

Ondansetron is a world-renowned emesis restrainer developed by GlaxoSmithKline, but Korea United Pharm., Inc. developed simpler and more economical method, obtaining 90% of medical materials from the raw materials.

In Korea, Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co. and Boryung Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd acquired patents for production method of ondansetron before Korea United Pharm., Inc.

6. Patent acquisition of osteoporosis cure material in Japan

Dong Hwa Pharm. Ind Co., Ltd acquired Japanese patent for "3-amino-1, 2-benzoisooxazol"derivative, production method, and uses of the material in cooperation with Prof. Seo, Hons-Seok at College of Pharmacy, Pusan National University.

The new material is used for preventing absorption of bone to marrow and promoting formation of marrow.

A person at Dong Hwa Pharm. Ind Co., Ltd remarked, "We are now conducting pre-clinical testing on animals and need 5 billion won investment."

Meanwhile, Dong Hwa Pharm. Ind. Co., Ltd acquired U.S. patent for the new material.

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