BIPLA and KAIPBA Joint Press Release

On April 28, 2023, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his delegation visited Boston for a series of events centered on biotechnology and innovation ecosystems. President Yoon gathered together experts on all facets of the Boston life science hub for a round table discussion on the myriad of factors that led to Boston’s great success. President Yoon is leading an initiative in South Korea to develop a K-Bio Lab Hub in Songdo, Incheon by 2025.

At the Round Table, President Yoon shared his thoughts about the development of the Boston cluster and Korea’s plans for the K-Bio Lab Hub. He noted that it would be a win-win for both countries when the US science and technology capabilities and South Korea's manufacturing and production technology capabilities are combined.

BIPLA President Rebecca McNeill shared her perspective on the contribution of patents to the biotech ecosystem. She shared that patents promote detailed disclosure of new inventions. Because inventors are rewarded for disclosure with the promise of exclusivity for the term of the patent, innovators share their discoveries instead of hiding them away as trade secrets. She also shared that patents reward academic organizations for research. Noting the US Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, which allows academic organizations to own the rights to their inventions resulting from Federally funded research so long as they actively commercialize the technology, Rebecca explained that academic organizations receive government funding to make inventions and then receive corporate funding from licensing inventions. This virtuous cycle of investment in academic organizations allows them to do their best work. Lastly, Rebecca shared that patents promote investment in new companies and stimulate partnership between large and small companies. Boston has derived much of its success from the diversity of players in the innovation ecosystem and protecting the rights of small companies has benefited Boston, as well as the large companies that have collaborated with them. To read Rebecca McNeill’s remarks at the Round Table in full, please visit this link.

KAIPBA President Sung-Hoon Kim shared his perspective on the importance of intellectual property protection and enforcement for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups entering the US market.

The Korean delegation to this event included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, Kyungho Choo; Minister Young Lee, Ministry of SMEs and Startups; Commissioner Insil Lee, Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO); Sang-mok Choi, Senior Secretary to the President for Economic Affairs; Eun-hye Kim, Senior Secretary to the President for Public Relations; and Dong-Sup Yoon, MD, PHD, President & CEO, Yonsei University Health System.

Other atendees at the Round Table included high-level experts from academic, corporate, and investment branches of the Boston ecosystem: (1) representing the Boston biotech cluster: Johannes Freuhauf, MD, PhD, Co-Founder, President, LabCentral, a preeminent private/public partnership model for life science incubator space (moderator of the Round Table); and Jeff Smith, PhD, Partner, McKinsey & Company; (2) representing academic and clinical organizations: David Brown, MD, President, Massachusets General Hospital, President; (3) representing entrepreneurs: Jong Sung Koh, PhD, CEO & President, Genosco; Stéphane Bancel, CEO, Moderna; William N. Hait, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President, Chief External Innovation and Medical Officer, Johnson & Johnson; and Robert Playter, CEO, Boston Dynamics; and (4) representing investors: David Gross-Loh, Asia Managing Partner, Bain Capital LP.

Both BIPLA and KAIPBA met with Commissioner Lee and her delegation from KIPO, on April 27, 2023. At the BIPLA meeting, Ms. McNeill invited women from diverse expertise areas in IP to participate in the discussion with members of the Korean delegation. Along with Commissioner Lee, other representatives from the KIPO and the Korean Embassy, as well as Korean IP professionals took part in the event. Over lunch, the Korean delegation shared the policy efforts that the KIPO currently focuses on and the ongoing cooperation with the USPTO and other international patent offices. Commissioner Lee reflected on the challenges and lessons learned from being the first female head of the KIPO, starting her own firm after working in a large firm, and other leadership roles she has taken throughout her 37-year career in IP. The atendees also discussed the importance of encouraging more women inventors to use the IP system to protect their innovations, and how a network of women inventors, entrepreneurs, and IP practitioners can support women-led tech companies. Mr. Yoenbum Sung, President of PCT Korea Center, also provided information on the advantages of using the KIPO as an International Search Authority (ISA). BIPLA is honored to have had this opportunity to strengthen relationships with IP professionals in Korea, and to have a forum for women in IP to share their experiences and expertise.

BIPLA and KAIPBA both look forward to continuing a dialog with the delegation from Korea, providing guidance and support to this important initiative to develop the K-Bio Lab Hub in Songdo, Incheon, South Korea. Just as the Boston biotech hub has brought important medical advances and economic success to the Boston area, BIPLA and KAIPBA expect that the K-Bio Lab Hub will do the same.

For 99 years, Boston Intellectual Property Law Association (BIPLA), previously known as the Boston Patent Law Association, has been serving the intellectual property community by promoting public understanding of IP, delivering educational programs, and providing a forum for the exchange of ideas concerning intellectual property.

Rebecca McNeill is the Managing and Founding Partner of McNeill Baur, a patent boutique focused on life science prosecution and counseling with offices across the US. The McNeill Baur team includes two native Korean speakers able to hold meetings with clients in English or Korean, Counsel Hojung Cho, PhD and Technical Specialist Keun-Young Park, PhD.

KAIPBA (Korean American Intellectual Property Bar Association, pronounced \kaɪbɑː\), formerly known as KAIPLA, was founded in March 2007. KAIPBA is the first organization representing intellectual property atorneys of Korean heritage in the United States. With a goal of serving all Korean American IP professionals in the US, KAIPBA represents and serves the needs of its members, provides a nationwide network of Korean American IP lawyers and bar members in the United States, and serves as a liaison to Korea-based counterpart IP organizations including the Korean Patent Atorneys Association (KPAA) and Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO).

Sung-Hoon Kim is a partner with WHDA, LLP, a full-service intellectual property law firm. His practice focuses on the prosecution of patent applications in the electrical and mechanical arts and his practice also includes biomedical imaging. Sung-Hoon is fluent in Korean and travels frequently to Asia to give lectures to his clients.