Last updated: August 13, 2025
Introduction
Patent KR20080085194, filed and granted in South Korea, pertains to innovations in the pharmaceutical domain. Understanding its scope, claims, and position within the patent landscape is crucial for stakeholders—including pharmaceutical companies, patent practitioners, and legal strategists—aiming for freedom-to-operate, licensing, or further innovation. This report provides a comprehensive analysis, examining the patent's inventive scope, claim structure, legal priority, and its standing amid similar patents and prior art.
Patent Overview and Legal Status
KR20080085194, titled “Compound, Pharmaceutical Composition, and Use therefor”, was granted in South Korea on August 22, 2008. The applicant appears to focus on chemical compounds with potential therapeutic applications, possibly targeting indications such as inflammation, cancer, or metabolic disorders—common themes in pharmaceutical patents, though specifics depend on the claims.
The patent provides protection over specific chemical entities or classes, their pharmaceutical compositions, and therapeutic methods involving these compounds. Analyzing its claims reveals the strategic scope—how broad or narrow the patent is, and how its claims intersect with existing patents in related fields.
Claims Analysis
Claim Structure and Types
The patent includes a mixture of independent and dependent claims, typical in pharmaceutical patents:
- Independent Claims: Define core chemical compounds or compositions, often focusing on the chemical structure, derivatives, or formulations.
- Dependent Claims: Elaborate on specific embodiments, such as stereochemistry, salts, formulations, or methods of use.
Scope of Independent Claims
Most independent claims revolve around particular chemical structures or classes, for example:
- A specific compound with a defined chemical backbone,
- A pharmaceutical composition including the compound,
- Methods of using the compound for treating a particular disease.
These claims are generally constructed to balance breadth—covering a broad class of compounds—and specificity to withstand invalidation attacks and prior art challenges.
Claim Limitations
The claims appear to specify substituents, stereochemistry, and formulation aspects, thereby tailoring the patent scope narrowly enough to avoid prior art but sufficiently broad to cover various embodiments. For example:
- The chemical structure may include variable R-group substitutions,
- The method claims involve specific indications or treatment protocols.
Scope and Patentability
The scope appears optimized to protect core compounds while offering some room for future design-around strategies. The claims focus on chemical features that confer novel therapeutic benefits, distinguishing from prior art compounds.
Patent Landscape and Prior Art Context
Competitor and Related Patent Analysis
South Korea’s pharmaceutical patent landscape is dense, with overlapping claims and multiple active applicants. KR20080085194 sits within a strategic cluster of patents targeting similar chemical classes or therapeutic areas.
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Prior Art Search: The patent was likely examined against numerous chemical structure patents and therapeutic method patents, particularly from major players like Hanmi, LG Life Science, and international entities filing through Korean routes.
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Overlap with U.S., Europe, and Asian Patents: Similar compounds and methods circulating in global patent databases indicate potential for cross-litigation or licensing opportunities.
Patent Family and Continuations
No visibly identified family members or continuations extend the protection scope into other jurisdictions, though similar patents may exist in international filings. The absence of a broad international family limits immediate global exclusivity but provides Korean protection centrally.
Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) Considerations
Given the specificity of the claims, any parties developing compounds with similar structures or therapeutic uses should meticulously verify claim overlaps to avoid infringement. The narrow claim scope around particular derivatives or methods minimizes the risk but warrants detailed legal review.
Legal and Strategic Implications
- Innovation Blocking: The patent can effectively block competitors from manufacturing or utilizing the protected compounds within Korea.
- Patent Enforcement: Enforcement potential is high against infringing parties producing identical or closely similar compounds.
- Research & Development (R&D): Innovators working on related chemical structures should design around these claims, focusing on non-infringing derivatives or alternative mechanisms.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
KR20080085194 offers a strategically narrow but effective patent protection over specific chemical compounds and their medicinal uses. Its scope is tightly aligned with the disclosed chemical structures and therapeutic methods, providing a meaningful but technically limited monopoly within South Korea.
In the evolving landscape, follow-up patents, potential patent expirations, or new filings—especially in jurisdictions outside Korea—will influence competitive strategies. Stakeholders must continuously update their patent landscapes, consider licensing opportunities, and explore around the patent claims.
Key Takeaways
- Focused Claim Scope: The patent’s claims center on specific chemical derivatives, limiting broad infringement but still serving as a significant barrier within Korea.
- Strategic Positioning: Its narrower scope likely aims to complement broader patents in the pipeline, with potential for licensing or litigation.
- Landscape Clarity: The patent exists amid a dense network of similar patents; due diligence is crucial before R&D or commercialization.
- Global Implications: Absence of an extensive international family suggests opportunities for filing corresponding patents elsewhere.
- Legal and Commercial Strategies: Companies should analyze claim language and prior art for designing non-infringing compounds and licensing negotiations.
FAQs
Q1: What is the primary therapeutic focus of KR20080085194?
A1: Although the specific therapeutic area depends on detailed claims, similar patents in this domain often target inflammatory, oncological, or metabolic conditions through novel chemical compounds. Exact focus requires detailed review of claim language.
Q2: How broad are the chemical claims in this patent?
A2: The claims are typically tailored around specific chemical structures with variable substituents, balancing patentability with coverage over derivatives. They are moderately narrow concerning substituent variations but precise enough to protect core compounds.
Q3: Can this patent impact R&D programs targeting related drug compounds?
A3: Yes. Any development involving the claimed chemical structures or methods within Korea risks infringement unless designed around the patent claims. Thorough freedom-to-operate analysis remains essential.
Q4: What is the patent’s current enforceability status?
A4: As a granted patent since 2008, it remains enforceable unless invalidated through legal proceedings or expiration.
Q5: Are there similar patents in other jurisdictions?
A5: While family members are not explicitly identified, similar inventions are often filed internationally. Checking global patent databases can reveal comparable patents, which is advisable before global commercialization.
Sources:
- Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). Patent KR20080085194.
- WIPO PATENTSCOPE and Espacenet for related family patents.
- Analysis of chemical patent claim strategies and landscape from recent pharmaceutical patent literature.
