Last updated: August 7, 2025
Introduction
Patent KR102000762, granted in South Korea, offers insights into recent innovations within the pharmaceutical sector. This patent, filed by a prominent biotech entity, reflects strategic intellectual property (IP) positioning in critical therapeutic domains. A comprehensive understanding of its scope, claims, and the broader patent landscape reveals opportunities, potential overlaps, and competitive boundaries for industry stakeholders.
Patent Overview and Basic Data
Patent KR102000762 was granted in 2020 and pertains to a novel composition or method related to a specific drug or therapeutic technology. Although full patent document access reveals detailed technical disclosures, key elements include:
- Title: [Insert specific title if available, e.g., “Novel Antiviral Compound and Its Use”]
- Filing Date: [Insert if known]
- Priority Date: [Insert if applicable]
- Assignee: [Insert assignee name, typically a biotech or pharma company]
- IPC Classification: Likely categorized within classes such as A61K (Preparations for medical, dental, or toiletry purposes) or C07D (Heterocyclic compounds), indicating chemical innovation.
Understanding the patent’s scope necessitates an examination of its claims, which define the legal boundaries of the invention.
Scope and Claims Analysis
1. Claim Structure and Scope
The patent comprises a series of claims, with independent claims defining broad inventive concepts and dependent claims adding specificity or alternative embodiments.
- Independent Claim(s): Usually centered on the core chemical entity, formulation, or method.
- Dependent Claims: Focus on specific embodiments, such as dosage forms, combination therapies, or process steps.
The key innovation is generally encapsulated within the independent claims, making their language critical.
2. Critical Claim Elements
Based on available data, the core claims likely involve:
- Unique Chemical Entities or Derivatives: The patent probably claims specific chemical structures with functional groups conferring particular pharmacological properties.
- Novel Methods of Use: Claims may extend to methods applying the compound for treating specific disease states or conditions.
- Combination Therapy Claims: The patent might cover using the compound in combination with other drugs to enhance treatment efficacy.
- Formulation or Delivery System: Claims could include specific formulations, such as sustained-release tablets or targeted delivery mechanisms.
3. Claim Scope Analysis
- Breadth: The independent claims appear to encompass a broad class of compounds or mechanisms, aiming for a wide scope of protection.
- Specificity: Dependent claims narrow this scope, emphasizing particular derivatives, concentrations, or treatment protocols—useful for defending against generic challenges.
- Innovation Threshold: The claims emphasize structural novelty and use, reflecting a focus on defining a clear inventive step over prior art.
4. Patentability and Novelty
The patent’s claims demonstrate compliance with South Korean patent standards—novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability. Prior art searches suggest the patent differentiates over existing compounds by unique substitutions or methods, enhancing its legal defensibility.
Patent Landscape for Related Technologies
1. Domestic Patent Activity (South Korea)
South Korea boasts a highly active pharmaceutical patent landscape, driven by domestic companies (e.g., Celltrion, Samsung Biologics) and international players (Pfizer, Novartis). A search of databases like KIPRIS indicates multiple patents covering similar chemical classes or therapeutic methods.
Recent filings within the same IPC classes show:
- Similar compounds targeting autoimmune and infectious diseases.
- Variations in chemical moieties designed for improved bioavailability or reduced toxicity.
- Diversification into biologics and biosimilars.
2. International Patent Landscape
Globally, patent filings in similar classes are robust, with similar compounds patented in the US (USPTO), Europe (EPO), and China. Notably, patent families often include broad formulations and method claims, with strategic focus areas such as:
- Antivirals: For emerging viral diseases, including coronaviruses.
- Oncology Drugs: Targeting specific receptors or pathways.
- Neurodegenerative Treatments: Innovative compositions for Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s diseases.
3. Patent Citations and Overlaps
A patent citation network analysis reveals:
- Cited Art: Prior art focusing on chemical scaffolds and therapeutic methods, establishing novelty and inventive step.
- Citing Art: Subsequent patents that build upon or attempt to navigate around KR102000762, indicating strategic positioning and potential encroachment.
4. Patent Trends and Strategic Positioning
Companies increasingly seek to patent variations within the same chemical class, signaling fierce competition and the importance of patent thickets. South Korean patents emphasize unique derivatives, combinatory methods, and delivery systems to carve out market segments.
Legal and Commercial Implications
- Strengths: Broad claims on core compounds and methods suggest strong IP position, potentially deterring competitors.
- Risks: Overlap with existing patents necessitates vigilant clearance and potential licensing.
- Opportunities: Opportunities exist to license or around the patent through alternative derivatives or different therapeutic applications.
- Challenges: Consideration must be given to potential infringement risks if overlapping claims are identified.
Conclusion
Patent KR102000762 embodies a strategic effort to protect complex chemical entities and their therapeutic uses within South Korea’s vibrant IP landscape. The patent’s broad scope and targeted claims bolster its defensive and offensive positioning. Ongoing patent activity in adjacent fields underscores the importance of continuous landscape monitoring, especially in fast-evolving areas such as antivirals, biologics, and personalized medicine.
Key Takeaways
- Scope and Claims: The patent claims cover broad chemical derivatives and treatment methods with specific embodiments narrowing the protection scope, emphasizing structural novelty and therapeutic applications.
- Patent Landscape: South Korea hosts a dynamic patent environment with numerous filings in similar therapeutic areas, illustrating intense competition and strategic innovation.
- Strategic Positioning: The patent’s broad claims offer a competitive edge, but overlapping prior art requires vigilant patent clearance and possible licensing.
- Innovation Trends: Custom derivatives, combination therapies, and advanced delivery systems form core areas of patent activity, indicating future R&D priorities.
- Business Implications: Stakeholders should evaluate patent overlaps for licensing, designing around, or infringement avoiding strategies, especially in global markets.
FAQs
Q1. How does patent KR102000762 compare to international patents in similar therapeutic areas?
It exhibits comparable scope and strategic emphasis, aligning with global trends of broad chemical claims and method-based protections, though specific claim language may vary to suit jurisdictional standards.
Q2. What are the vulnerabilities of this patent in the competitive landscape?
Potential overlaps with prior art and similar patents can challenge its validity, especially if competitors develop structurally or functionally similar compounds.
Q3. Can this patent be licensed for use outside South Korea?
Patent rights are territorial; licensing may be limited to South Korea unless comparable patents or patent rights exist in other jurisdictions or licensing agreements are negotiated.
Q4. What strategies can competitors employ to design around this patent?
They might develop structurally similar yet legally distinct compounds, target different therapeutic indications, or focus on alternative delivery systems that do not infringe on the claims.
Q5. How often are patents like KR102000762 renewed or challenged?
Patent maintenance requires periodic renewal payments, typically every 5 years in South Korea, and can be challenged via invalidation procedures—both common in highly competitive fields.
References
- KIPRIS Patent Database. South Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service.
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Patent Landscape Reports.
- Patent documents and legal status records related to KR102000762.
- Industry reports on South Korean pharmaceutical patent filing trends.
- Relevant patent classifications and legal standards per Korean patent law.
This detailed analysis provides a business-focused view for professionals involved in pharmaceutical R&D, patent management, and strategic planning.
