Hojun Yeom

  • Partner
  • T. +82-2-3404-0464
  • F. +82-2-3404-0805
  • E. hojun.yeom@bkl.co.kr

Overview

Hojun Yeom, a partner of Bae, Kim & Lee LLC, focuses on, including, without limitation, IP litigation & counseling; trade secrets & corporate information protection; IP transactions, licensing & strategy. 

After being appointed as a judge in 2003, Mr. Yeom worked as a judge at the Patent Court and as the director of Research and Planning Department at the Judicial Policy Research Institute of Supreme Court, and worked as a judge for 18 years until he finally retired as a presiding judge at the Intellectual Property Division of the Seoul Central District Court in 2021. He obtained a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) and completed a Ph.D. course in Intellectual Property Law from Seoul National University, respectively. He also studied as a visiting researcher at Georgetown Law Center.

Mr. Yeom lectured on the patent law at the Judicial Research and Training Institute of Supreme Court, and co-authored the ONJU Patent Law, ONJU Copyright Law, interpretation of Trademarks Law, interpretation of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, interpretation of Industrial Design Protection Act, interpretation of Copyright Law, Defend Trade Secrets Act, Commentary on the employee invention system, Intellectual Property Litigation Practice, and Entertainment Law and published a number of intellectual property papers, such as “How to Determine the prosecution history estoppel in doctrine of equivalents”. 

Representative Experience

2021-Present Bae, Kim & Lee LLC
2019-2021 Presiding Judge, Intellectual Property Division, Seoul Central District Court
2017-2019 Director of Research and Planning Department/Senior Researcher, Judicial Policy Research Institute of Supreme Court
2017-2019 Presiding Judge, Incheon District Court
2015-2017 Presiding Judge, Gwangju District Court
2014-2015 Judge, Seoul Central District Court
2011-2014 Judge, Patent Court
2010-2011 Judge, Seoul Northern District Court
2008-2009 Visiting Researcher, Georgetown Law Center, U.S.A.
2006-2010 Judge, Incheon District Court
2003-2006 Judge, Busan District Court
See More
2021-2023 Adjunct Professor, Seoul National University School of Law
2021 Member, Committee of Employee Invention System, the Invention related to the duties system Korean Intellectual Property Office
2020-2022 Chairman of the case study, Korea Association For Informedia Law
2017-2022 Expert Advisor, Presidential Council on Intellectual Property

Representative Matters

Advised A on Metaverse and NFT
Advised B on unfair competitive behaviors regarding advertising ideas
Represented a large-size domestic company, C, in a trade secret infringement case against a chemical manufacturer
Represented a foreign company, D, in a case seeking invalidation of patent registration
Represented a domestic manufacturer of vessel fuel gas supplying system, E, in a case seeking preliminary injunction of job change
Corporate Advice
Advised F on possible infringement on copyright in using product images
Advised G on analysis of competitor information using crawling
Advised H on non-competition agreement
Advised I on response to unauthorized disclosure of game source codes
Advised J on response to alleged infringement upon exclusive license of patent
Advised K on operation of Metaverse platform
Advised a game company, L, on claim for an agreed sum
Advised M on default under a patented good supply agreement
Advised A on Metaverse and NFT
Advised N on response to shape imitating products
Advised a foundation, O, on NFT regarding proprietary works
Advised B on unfair competitive behaviors regarding advertising ideas
Advised P on preliminary injunction of posting
Advised an entertainment company, Q, on interpretation of an exclusive agreement
Advised a foreign organization, R, on a dispute over a license agreement
Litigation
Represented a large-size domestic company, C, in a trade secret infringement case against a chemical manufacturer
Represented a domestic pharmaceutical company, S in a patent infringement case against foreign pharmaceutical companies
Represented a foreign company, D, in a case seeking invalidation of patent registration
Represented a domestic mask manufacturer, T, in a case seeking invalidation of patent registration and affirmation of scope of rights
Represented a domestic manufacturer of building products, U, in a case seeking invalidation of patent registration
Represented a domestic 3D printer manufacturer, V, in a case seeking invalidation and correction of patent registration
Represented a domestic medical device manufacturer, W, in a case seeking invalidation and invalidation of correction of patent registration
Represented a domestic large-size distributor, X, in a trade secret infringement case
Represented a domestic manufacturer of vessel fuel gas supplying system, E, in a case seeking preliminary injunction of job change
Represented a domestic software company, Y, in a case seeking confirmation of patent infringement, invalidation of registration, and scope of rights
Represented a domestic manufacturer, Z, in a case seeking cancellation of no use of trademarks and confirmation of scope of rights

Education

2003 Seoul National University (LL.M.)
2000 Judicial Research and Training Institute, Supreme Court of Korea
1998 Seoul National University (B.A.)

Selected Activities

Publications
Interpretation of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act (Co-author, Pakyoungsa, 2020)
Interpretation of Trademarks Law (Co-author, Pakyoungsa, 2018)
Patent Law, writing representative Youngsun Cho (Co-author, LAWnB ONJU, 2017-present)
Copy Right Law, writing representative Jongsu Yoon (Co-author, LAWnB ONJU, 2017-present)
Defend Trade Secrets Act, edited by Korea Patent Law Society (Co-author, Pakyoungsa, 2017)
The Effect of Request for Correction Trial on the Hearing of Cancellation of Invalidation Decision, Study of Precedents on Patent Disputes Vol.3 (Korea Patent Law Society, 2017)
Whether the claim for division of patent co-ownership is recognized and the method of division, Informedia Law Precedents (II) (Korea Association for Informedia Law, 2016)
How to determine the prosecution history estoppel in doctrine of equivalents, Studies on Special Act No. 13 (Jurisdiction Development Foundation, 2016)
Commentary on the employee invention system, edited by Korea Patent Law Society (Co-author, Pakyoungsa, 2015)
Interpretation of Industrial Design Protection Act, edited by Sangjo JONG (Co-author, Pakyoungsa, 2015)
Intellectual Property Litigation Practice, edited by Patent Court IP Litigation Practice Research Society (Co-author, Pakyoungsa, 2014)
Identification of the challenged invention, Patent Litigation Research Vol. 6 (Patent Court, 2013)
Trial for cancellation of non-use trademark for some designated products, Law & Technology Vol. 9(4) (Seoul National University Technology and Law Center, 2013)
Review of temporary reproduction under the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement, Law & Technology Vol. 5(3) (Seoul National University Technology and Law Center, 2009)
Interpretation of Patent Law, edited by Sangjo JONG (Co-author, Pakyoungsa, 2007)
Entertainment Law, edited by Sangjo JONG (Co-author, Pakyoungsa, 2007)
Brief Study of Article 67 of the Trademark Act, Law & Technology Vol. 3(1) (Seoul National University Technology and Law Center, 2007)
European Union's Directive on Database Protection and Recent Trends, International Media Law 2006 Vol. 1 No. 19 (Korea Press Foundation, 2006)
Protection of Database, Law & Technology Vol. 2(3) (Seoul National University Technology and Law Center, 2006)
A Study on the Legislative Direction for Database Protection (Master's thesis, Seoul National University, 2003)
Activity
Lecturer of Seoul Bar Association in Intellectual Property Training Institute (2021)
Lecturer on IP litigation practice for the judicial officers in Judicial Research and Training Institute of Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea (2020)
Lecturer on Intellectual Property Law for in-service training in Research and Training Institute for Lawyers of Korean Bar Association (2019)
Lecturer on patent law research in Judicial Research and Training Institute of Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea (2014-2015)

Qualifications

2021 Patent Attorney (Korea)
2000 Korea