What David Beckham Can Teach Us About Korean IP Law
by Brendon Carr
David Beckham—apparently he’s a soccer player from England—has arrived in Los Angeles to vault Major League Soccer and his new team the Los Angeles Galaxy into the stratosphere of popularity. ESPN.com columnist Gene Wojciechowski chronicled the feverish excitement around the great man’s arrival and introduction. Apparently, not everyone got the word:
[In the reporters’ event suite] Beckham, 32, doesn’t say anything particularly interesting. Wait, that’s not exactly true. He says he approached one of his new Galaxy teammates earlier in the morning and said, “Nice to meet you.” The teammate said, “Nice to meet you too. What’s your name?”
This made me laugh out loud. Here in Korea, where my cable television carries CNN International, they haven’t stopped talking about Beckham this, Beckham that all weekend long. I hope they shut up about the guy soon. How am I going to find out what Paris Hilton ate for lunch if this keeps up?
But there is a lesson in all this for both of you, dear readers of Korea Law Blog. Don’t be so sure your “famous trademark” is so famous here in Korea. The only effective way to protect your intellectual property is to be the first person to register because Korea is a first-to-file jurisdiction. And don’t forget the domain names either!
Filing your trademarks won’t necessarily protect you completely, but it’s a start and the only way to win this game is to play by Korean rules. See also discussion of Starbucks’ problems from the Marmot’s Hole earlier this year.
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