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Jaewoo Kwak, a partner of Lee & Ko’s Intellectual Property Group, has been selected for the Lexology Index: Client Choice 2026, in recognition of his expertise in the field of intellectual property and his exceptional client service.

Mr. Kwak is widely recognized as a highly versatile practitioner whose comprehensive and profound understanding of both technology and legal principles enables him to excel across a broad range of IP disputes and advisory matters. He achieved a dramatic turnaround and final victory in a decade-long, multi-billion-won patent battle involving ice water purifiers, and played a leading role in securing the Supreme Court decision in the unauthorized BTS photo book case, a landmark ruling that ultimately paved the way for the legislative recognition of the right of publicity in Korea.

He also possesses unparalleled expertise in international patent and trade secret disputes involving advanced technologies, as well as in complex e-discovery matters. More recently, he has garnered additional attention for his extensive work on AI-related and gaming-industry cases.

Since 2005, the Lexology Index: Client Choice has recognized lawyers around the world who demonstrate excellence in client care, based on evaluations from in-house counsel and a rigorous independent review process. Mr. Kwak’s selection reflects the continued trust placed in him by global and domestic clients, as well as his longstanding commitment to delivering the highest caliber of legal service.

On November 27, 2025, Lee & Ko’s IP & Technology Group successfully hosted a seminar titled ‘Changes in the IP and Technology Protection Environment in the Era of Technological Innovation and How to Respond.’

Lee & Ko’s IP & Technology Group’s seminar, celebrating its 11th anniversary of the annual client seminar series starting in 2015, has consistently provided an in-depth exploration of key issues in IP field. This year, the seminar marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of Lee & Ko’s IP Group into the IP & Technology Group, broadening its focus to include not only traditional IP rights but also on a wide array of emerging technology-related matters.

The first part of session centered on dispute response strategies directly relevant to corporate practices. Ms. Yi-Kang Kang opened the session on “Patent and Trade Secret Dispute Response Strategies,” covering methods for securing evidence in technology disputes and the application of punitive damages under patent law. Ms. Shin Sil Choi followed with a discussion on “Responsive Strategies for Unfair Competition Disputes,” analyzing various case law on unauthorized use of achievements under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act and offering corporate response strategies in this regard. The first session concluded with additional presentations by Ms. Soo Yeon Park, who shared “Product Defects, Recalls, and Dispute Response Strategies.” Ms. Park discussed various dispute cases and solutions related to defects in pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and household chemicals, while also addressing legal risk management strategies.

The second session featured new regulations and global dispute trends in the era of technical innovation. Mr. Jae Woo Kwak presented on “Recent Trends in AI Technology Regulation and Legal Issues,” covering global AI copyright infringement, defamation, and product liability cases, along with domestic regulations such as the Artificial Intelligence Basic Law. Mr. Ah Hyun Nam delivered “Recent Developments in U.S. ITC and PTAB,” focusing on latest global trends such as the Domestic Industry Requirement at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and Discretionary Denial at the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Finally, Mr. Il Gwon Kim spoke on “Latest Trends in Cross-Border Technology Disputes,” exploring cases involving attempts to bypass technological barriers in international transactions and key trends which companies should be aware of.

Lee & Ko’s IP & Technology Group is one of the leading technical legal expert teams in Korea, comprising approximately 80 intellectual property-specialized attorneys-at-law and around 80 patent attorneys with broad technical expertise in various aspects of IP. The group handles not only traditional IP matters- including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and unfair competition—but also a wide range of technology-related disputes and advisory work, such as biotechnology, AI and data-related disputes, semiconductors, and healthcare. With its technical expertise and unrivaled experience in the field, Lee & Ko’s IP & Technology Group provides a comprehensive one-stop legal service tailored to meet the needs of clients in various global IP disputes and related matters.

On Wednesday, November 19, Lee & Ko co-hosted a seminar titled "Trademark and Patent Law Essentials Every In-House Counsel Should Know" with the Korea In-house Counsel Association (KICA).

The seminar began with a welcome address by Mr. Un Ho Kim of Lee & Ko, and proceeded with two dedicated sessions on patent and trademark law tailored for in-house counsel, followed by a Q&A session.

The first session, presented by Ms. Eun Woo Lee of Lee & Ko, focused on "Trademark Law Essentials Every In-House Counsel Should Know." She discussed key considerations for trademark owners and users in the event of disputes, as well as strategies for securing and managing trademark rights.

The second session was delivered by Ms. Kyung Jin Kim of Lee & Ko, who spoke on "Patent Law Essentials Every In-House Counsel Should Know." Her presentation covered patent filing and registration procedures, patent trials and patent litigation, and pre- and post-dispute prevention strategies.

Lee & Ko’s IP & Technology Group is one of the leading technical legal expert teams in Korea, comprising approximately 80 intellectual property-specialized attorneys-at-law and around 80 patent attorneys with broad technical expertise across various fields. The group handles not only traditional IP matters—including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and unfair competition—but also a wide range of technology-related disputes and advisory work, such as product liability, product defect claims, medical devices, biotechnology, semiconductors, automobiles, software development disputes, AI and data-related disputes, and disputes involving manufacturing facilities. Drawing on extensive practical experience and expertise related to technology disputes, the group will continue to provide in-house counsel with the highest level of comprehensive legal services tailored to their needs.

Lee & Ko has been honored with two top distinctions at the 2025 Asia IP Awards, held on November 6 in Kuala Lumpur, being named “Korea Copyright Firm of the Year” and “Korea Trademark Litigation Firm of the Year.” These awards recognize the firm’s leadership and excellence across the full spectrum of intellectual property practice.

Lee & Ko’s IP & Technology Group has recently achieved a series of landmark results in high-stakes IP disputes. Most notably, the team secured a decisive victory in the widely publicized “Water Purifier Patent War,” overturning an unfavorable first-instance judgment on behalf of Coway at the appellate level and ultimately prevailing before the Supreme Court. In another precedent-setting matter, the Group successfully established that an online offer for sale of patent-infringing products directed at Korean consumers constitutes patent infringement in Korea, even when the seller’s servers are located overseas. This ruling significantly enhances the substantive protection available to rights holders in an increasingly borderless digital marketplace.

Beyond patents, the Group also advises and litigates across a diverse range of IP fields. It manages complex and high-profile copyright disputes, including prominent mobile-game litigation, and provides robust enforcement and strategic counseling for global and domestic brand owners in trademark matters. Leveraging seamless collaboration between seasoned IP litigators and the patent attorneys of the firm’s affiliated patent practice, Lee & Ko’s IP & Technology Group not only develops effective IP portfolio strategies but also delivers comprehensive ONE-STOP services, ranging from patent, trademark, and design filings for global companies to managing IP litigation and providing counsel on, and resolving, disputes involving cutting-edge technologies and diverse technology-related issues.

The Asia IP Awards honor the best law firms across the region for excellence in trademark, patent, and copyright work. Winners are selected from a shortlist of five firms based on voting by more than 5,000 in-house counsels worldwide.

Lee & Ko has been recognized as a top-tier law firm in Managing IP’s 2025 IP Stars rankings in the categories of Trademark Disputes, Patent Disputes, Copyright & Related Rights, and IP Transactions. Particularly impressive is the firm’s continued success in IP Transactions, where it has maintained the highest ranking for five consecutive years since the category was first introduced, further underscoring its unrivaled expertise in this specialized practice area.

In the individual rankings, 11 Lee & Ko attorneys and patent attorneys have been recognized as IP Stars, Rising Stars, and Notable Practitioners, reflecting their distinguished expertise and achievements in the intellectual property field:


Patent Star: Un Ho Kim, Jae Hoon Kim, Keum Nang Park, Hwan Sung Park
Trademark Star: Jae Hoon Kim, Vera Eun Woo Lee
Rising star: Min Soo Kim, Min Wook Kim, Sung Hoon Kim

Lee & Ko’s Intellectual Property Group leverages its extensive global network to deliver premier legal services in patent disputes across multiple jurisdictions, including the United States, Europe, and Japan. With a deep and precise understanding of both technology and law, the Group consistently achieves favorable outcomes in both litigation and advisory matters. Most recently, Lee & Ko secured a landmark ruling before the Patent Court of Korea, the first decision to hold that posting and selling products covered by a Korean patent on overseas e-commerce platforms constitutes an “offer to assign,” thereby infringing the Korean patent right. This precedent-setting decision, grounded in a sophisticated analysis of cross-border e-commerce transactions and global case law developments, has been recognized as establishing a new interpretive standard for the protection of intellectual property rights.

Lee & Ko also provides comprehensive contractual and IP clearance advice, including matters relating to the Copyright Act, the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act, and rights of publicity, in connection with the production of Netflix series and other major content projects. By combining its deep expertise in copyright and IP transactions with extensive practical know-how, the firm offers production companies effective, tailored legal solutions to ensure the smooth production and distribution of creative works.

Managing Intellectual Property (Managing IP) is a leading international publication in the field of intellectual property. Each year, it publishes the IP Stars rankings based on surveys and interviews with IP professionals worldwide, identifying leading law firms by country and practice area.

Vera Eun Woo Lee, a partner of Lee & Ko’s IP Group, has been named one of the “Top 15 Female Lawyers 2025” by Asian Legal Business (ALB) Magazine in its August issue. Among the 15 lawyers selected, she was the sole lawyer from Korea to receive this distinction, a testament to her exceptional expertise and distinguished accomplishments in the IP field.
 
Since joining Lee & Ko in 2004, Ms. Lee has built a distinguished career in IP law, handling the full spectrum of IP matters, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, domain names, unfair competition, IP licensing, and employee inventions. She has also overseen numerous high-profile copyright, trademark, and unfair competition litigations with considerable legal significance. Among her career highlights, Ms. Lee has successfully led complex dispute cases that had no prior legal precedents, namely, a Supreme Court case that served to establish the standards for determining copyright infringement in game works, as well as other landmark cases delineating the scope of protection for photographic works and addressing the long-standing unauthorized use of a mark. 

ALB Magazine is a leading legal magazine in the Asia-Pacific region published by Thomson Reuters, a prestigious legal business publisher. Each year, the magazine recognizes the “Top 15 Female Lawyers” who have demonstrated outstanding achievements throughout their careers, selecting honorees from 13 different Asian countries, including India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, and Japan.