South Korea Launches Initiative to Protect K-Beauty Brands from Counterfeiting

South Korea is launching a government initiative aimed at protecting small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly K-beauty brands, from overseas counterfeiting and intellectual property infringements. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups, in collaboration with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, has established a joint council that includes the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency and the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency.

This initiative will facilitate the sharing of infringement cases and coordinate support for affected businesses. It will connect 22 Global Business Centers across 14 countries with 10 overseas intellectual property centers, which will assist companies operating in 40 countries. The initiative also aims to link export assistance with intellectual property protection and services for responding to disputes.

The initiative comes in response to the rise of counterfeit K-beauty products being sold on platforms like Amazon and TikTok Shop, including fake versions of Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics sunscreen. By bolstering protections for Korean beauty brands, the initiative seeks to help smaller companies navigate challenges related to counterfeit products, unauthorized trademark registrations, and other intellectual property disputes that could threaten their brand value and international expansion.