The Korean Patent Law is amended to cancel the previous article which restricts prior arts provided with the electrical communiation source to specific internet sources such as those managed and operated by governments, international organizations, and national universities or institutes.
Now, under the Korean Patent law, any invention disclosed to the public through any internet source is allowed to be utilized as a legitimate prior arts for the substantial examination of novelty and inventive steps.

This amemdment reflects that as intellectual technology has been rapidly developed, communication of informations via an internet becomes generallized.

This amendment to the Korean Patent Act will apply to applications filed on or after July 1, 2013.