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Silver - Firms: litigation
Highly-recommended - Firms: transactions
“Yulchon has 3Ps: preciseness, promptness and professionalism.” “They go above and beyond in preparing briefs and communicating with the examiners. Their briefs are very detailed and include figures to facilitate understanding of complex technical concepts.” “The firm addresses each point of the petitioner’s case in a succinct yet comprehensive manner.” High-stakes, high-profile litigations are the bread-and-butter of the prominent law firm Yulchon LLC. With a team of former judges, KIPO examiners, in-house counsel and technically educated attorneys, the outfit boasts a sparkling track record in district and higher courts. Keeping abreast with innovations, the ensemble launched a new IP & technology practice, which comprises over 50 lawyers and patent attorneys and has a laser focus on emerging technologies such as fintech, digital healthcare, blockchain and environmental, social and governance matters. Team leader Jeong Yeol Choe has over 20 years of judiciary experience gained at various district courts and the Patent Court. He recently led his team to victory in the challenging Eastern District of Texas, on behalf of HiCon. Also instrumental in that case was US attorney Samuel Sung Mok Lee, a frequent go-to for Fortune 500 companies who gained technical chops while serving as a senior legal counsel for Samsung Electronics. US-trained Jay Hoon Byun is known for his precise, incisive advice regarding disputes and IP protection, both from non-practising entities and powerful competitors. His clientele ranges from foreign start-ups to global household names. “Jay is an excellent communicator who keeps clients up to date regarding the status of the case at each step of the way. His English is excellent, and he always helps develop an adequate strategy by helping us understand the available choices and their ramifications.” With a doctorate in pharmaceutical science, 10 years as a KIPO examiner and experience serving as a senior technical examiner at the Patent Court, Kyung Ae Yoon excels in matters relating to pharma and biotechnology. Partner Hyeong Joo Lim has experience representing high-profile names in patent infringement cases before the Supreme Court. Along with Yoon, he recently successfully defended ToolGen in a case involving various valuable patents related to the Nobel-winning CRISPR/Cas9. “Lim combines top-flight client management skills with a strong practical focus and a solid foundation of expertise. His sense of responsibility fuels his enthusiasm to serve his clients in the best manner.” “Invaluable, efficient, commercially astute and with a great attention to detail”, computer science engineer Hee Woo Jo specialises in technological matters. Sea Yoon Cho has also received high praise and deserves a mention, too.
Yulchon LLC is one of Korea’s leading full-service law firms with the distinction of having the highest success rate before the Korean Supreme Court.
Yulchon employs over 600 professionals, including more than 60 foreign-licensed professionals. The firm’s perspective is international and its reach is global. Yulchon has represented many international clients and helped companies to expand around the globe.
Yulchon has been consistently recognised as a top-tier law firm in multiple areas, including tax, competition, corporate and M&A, and intellectual property. For example:
- IAM Patent 1000 ranked the firm’s IP litigation and transaction practices as Tier 1 for six consecutive years;
- Managing Intellectual Property ranked Yulchon as Tier 1 in its IP patent contentious category for eight consecutive years and Yulchon was selected as Tier 1 law firm in trade mark contentious category for the first time this year; and
- Asian Legal Business ranked Yulchon as Tier 1 for patents for eight consecutive years.
To further strengthen capabilities in outbound investments, Yulchon has offices in Jakarta, Moscow, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Shanghai and Yangon.
IP practice group
Yulchon’s IP professionals listen to clients’ needs and focus on their business strategies to provide tailored legal services relating to litigation, arbitration, licensing, negotiations, strategic counselling and compliance. The IP group is experienced in all aspects of intellectual property, including patents and utility models, trademarks, designs, copyright, trade secrets, unfair competition, entertainment, privacy, Customs and international trade. The group is also experienced in implementing IP-related corporate programmes, including trade secrets compliance, employee inventions remuneration compliance, internal investigations for trade secrets misappropriation and forensic analysis to obtain tangible evidence. Further, the group is experienced in international IP dispute resolution management, including IP litigation, licensing and transactions, and freedom-to-operate opinions. Working in cooperation with Yulchon’s antitrust group, the IP group also provides clear guidance to clients on issues arising from the intersection of IP and antitrust law.
The IP group consists of legal professionals with experience and knowledge in all aspects of intellectual property, technology and various industries. These professionals include former judges, examiners and directors of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, government attorneys, in-house counsel and engineers. The former judges served at the Patent Court, various district courts (including the Seoul Central District Court) and the IP division of the Seoul High Court and Supreme Court. The group’s professionals have degrees in many technical fields. They work closely as a cohesive unit, focusing on communication within the group and with clients in order to gain an accurate understanding of clients’ needs and concerns.
Jeong Yeol Choe heads the firm’s IP practice group and Hyeong Joo Lim co-heads the new industry IP team – a sub-practice of the IP practice group. Mr Choe, a former Patent Court judge, represented Samsung Electronics in its epic battle against Apple, and Mr Lim is experienced in implementing IP compliance programmes and conducting trade secrets misappropriation investigations. Da Woo Lee, a former Patent Court judge, has a chemistry background and further strengthens the IP group’s litigation expertise and experience. Min Seung Ku is also a former judge, including serving as a chief judicial researcher for the IP Law Division of the Supreme Court. Samuel Lee, a US-licensed partner, is experienced in patent licensing and international IP disputes, including US district court litigations and US International Trade Commission investigations. Kyung Ae Yoon has a PhD in pharmaceutical formations and is a former patent administrative law judge adjudicating invalidity litigations at the Korean Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board for pharmaceutical patents.
IP services
The IP group offers services in the following areas:
- patents and utility models;
- copyright (including computer programs);
- trade secrets;
- unfair competition;
- entertainment (eg, celebrities, sports and movies);
- IP risk management (eg, IP compliance and forensic analysis);
- IP surveys and evaluation;
- IP licensing and transactions;
- international dispute management; and
- protection of personal information.
Strategic alliance
Since February 2008, the IP group has formed a strategic alliance with YP Lee, Mock & Partners, one of the largest patent law firms in Korea. This enables Yulchon’s IP practice to utilise additional resources to efficiently and effectively handle litigation in all technical fields.
Languages
Korean, English, German, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, French, Japanese, Spanish, Cambodian, Portuguese and Burmese.
Jurisdiction