597 cases of false labeling of intellectual property rights of health foods sold online were detected

The Ministry of Intellectual Property announced on the 11th that it investigated the status of intellectual property labeling of health foods sold online and discovered a total of 597 cases of false labeling.

False indications of ‘patent rights’ accounted for the majority at 562 cases (94.1%), while false indications of ‘trademark rights’ accounted for 35 cases (5.9%).

The most common type of false labeling was 'marking extinguished rights as valid' with 534 cases (89.4%). 'Indicating intellectual property rights on products whose registration has been refused' was followed by 35 cases (5.9%), 'marking numbers that do not apply to the product' in 19 cases (3.2%), and 'marking registration on products pending application' in 9 cases (1.5%).

By product type, 'health functional foods' accounted for the most with 292 cases (48.9%), followed by 'other processed products' with 213 cases (35.7%).

The Ministry of Intellectual Property conducted this survey, believing that due to the nature of health foods, where it is not easy to differentiate between products, there are frequent cases of falsely labeling intellectual property rights to exaggerate product efficacy and lure consumers.

Kim Yong-hoon, director of the Intellectual Property Protection and Cooperation Bureau, said, "False labeling of intellectual property rights is an act that provides consumers with incorrect information, hindering rational purchasing decisions and undermining the fair and transparent trading order. We will strengthen the investigation of false labeling of intellectual property rights so that consumers can make rational purchasing decisions based on accurate product information."