AI PATENTS & IP STRATEGY

AI patent counsel.
Grounded in the technology.
Focused on your business.

We start with the technology: data, model architecture, training, inference and deployment. That analysis informs application drafting, prosecution, portfolio strategy and our assessment of third-party rights.

Yongduck Kim discussing technology and patent issues with a startup team
2025Korea University startup program · team mentoring on commercialization and patents

Photo: Yongduck Kim mentoring a startup team

AI & SOFTWARE / INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

AI patent experience across industries.
Clients we have represented.

Our AI and software patent practice spans education, healthcare, manufacturing, generative AI and robotics. Below, we outline the technologies we have worked on and the clients we have represented in each sector.

Experience gained at previous firms

Industrial data & anomaly detection

MakinaRocks · BISTel

Medical imaging, machine vision & satellite imagery

VUNO · SUALAB · SI Analytics

AI, software & games

SELVAS AI · Baidu · Xiaomi · Tmax group companies · Netmarble · Kakao Games

UI/UX and software prosecution

LG Electronics · Samsung Electronics

LLM · RAG · AI AGENTS

Identify the invention
within the AI system.

Different inventions can build on the same underlying model. We examine the data flows, processing steps and controls that distinguish your implementation and the technical effects they produce.

  1. 01

    Retrieval and input

    Assess the inventive features in retrieval selection, reranking, filtering, context construction and preprocessing.

  2. 02

    Model and system integration

    Analyze how the system provides information to the LLM and coordinates external APIs and tools.

  3. 03

    Agent execution control

    Examine how an agent selects tools, sequences tasks and handles approvals, failures, retries and exceptions.

  4. 04

    Verification and use

    Assess how verification and correction affect downstream operations and the system's technical performance.

Discuss your AI technology
WHAT WE EXAMINE

Define the technical contribution.
Build the patent strategy around it.

We look beyond the model name to identify potentially patentable features, the technical effects they produce and the disclosure needed to support the claims.

01

Data & preprocessing

We examine acquisition, selection, augmentation, labeling, preprocessing and feature extraction. Rights in the underlying data are assessed separately from patent protection for the processing technology.

What does the data transformation achieve technically?
02

Model architecture & training

We assess architecture, training objectives, loss functions, fine-tuning and reinforcement learning, linking performance improvements to the features that produce them.

What is new in the model or training process?
03

Inference, RAG & implementation

We analyze retrieval and generation, inference paths, memory and latency management, on-device deployment and device control, including improvements built around publicly available models.

How do system interactions address existing limitations?
04

Portfolio, FTO & commercialization

We analyze prior patents, research literature and your development roadmap to inform portfolio strategy, while keeping protection of your inventions distinct from freedom-to-operate analysis of third-party rights.

Which innovations need protection, and which third-party rights need analysis?
SELECTED TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE

Technical experience
across AI applications

Selected projects undertaken by Yongduck Kim at IPLEX and in his previous practice.

  1. IP analysis for AI and big-data-based smart manufacturing

  2. IP-R&D for an intelligent big data analytics platform

  3. AI medical imaging and biosignal patent analysis; machine-learning RNA IP-R&D

  4. Identifying patentable innovations in industrial AI anomaly detection and optimization

  5. IP-R&D for deep-learning-based radar pedestrian recognition

Yongduck Kim, Managing Partner
YOUR IP ADVISOR

Yongduck Kim

Yongduck Kim brings a background in information, communication and electronic engineering to his AI and software patent practice. He holds a B.S. from Soongsil University and passed the 50th Korean Patent Attorney Examination.

Full experience & publications
PUBLICATIONS & COMMENTARY

Three books on AI patent practice

All nine publications
OpenAI’s Patent Strategy and the Global AI Patent Race
2025 · Global AI patent strategy

OpenAI’s Patent Strategy and the Global AI Patent Race

Examines global AI patent strategies, startup IP use and the relationship between patents and open source.

CommunicationBooks · 2025-05-23 · ISBN 9791143002167

Read publication newsView book ↗
Strategies for Securing AI Patents
2024 · AI patent protection

Strategies for Securing AI Patents

Explores patent considerations across data, preprocessing, training, network modules and AI applications.

CommunicationBooks · 2024-07-12 · ISBN 9791128890598

Read publication newsView book ↗
A Practical Guide to AI Patent Examination
2022 · AI patent examination

A Practical Guide to AI Patent Examination

A guide to patent examination practice for AI technologies.

ePurple · 2022-08-19 · ISBN 9791139005530

Read publication newsView book ↗
KNOWLEDGE IN PRACTICE

IP education grounded in technology and business

Our lectures and mentoring help technology businesses work through the IP decisions that arise during development, protection and commercialization.

COLUMNS & TECHNICAL PERSPECTIVES

Published commentary.
Technical patent analysis.

80 articles

202622 articles View articles
202524 articles View articles
20245 articles View articles
202329 articles View articles
PREPARE YOUR CONSULTATION

Tell us about the technical problem.
We will help frame the IP issues.

You do not need a draft patent application to start the conversation. An outline of your technology, its distinctive features and your development timeline helps us identify the key issues and agree on how to review the supporting materials.

Contact the office ↗
  1. 01Technical problem and limitations of existing approaches
  2. 02Input/output, data processing and model workflow
  3. 03Your technical improvements and comparative test results
  4. 04Planned papers, presentations, launch and disclosures
  5. 05Target countries and development or investment schedule
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

AI patents: key questions

Can an invention built on a publicly available AI model be patented?

Using a publicly available model does not rule out patent protection. The assessment turns on the specific improvements in processing, integration, control, training or inference, considered against the prior art and applicable disclosure requirements.

What information is useful for an initial AI patent discussion?

Bring an outline of the technical problem, data and processing flows, differences from existing approaches, comparative results and any planned disclosures or launch. Relevant papers and patent documents are useful. We can agree how to exchange more detailed materials after the initial inquiry.

Does an AI patent application have to disclose all source code and model weights?

There is no universal requirement to disclose all code or weights. The application must nevertheless explain the invention sufficiently, including information necessary to implement its essential features and support the claims.

How does patent prosecution differ from freedom-to-operate analysis?

Patent prosecution focuses on securing protection for your technology. FTO analysis assesses third-party rights in specific countries, at a defined time and for a particular product configuration. Owning a patent does not itself eliminate infringement risk.

Does IPLEX advise on both generative and industrial AI?

Yes. Our work addresses data processing, training, inference and implementation across generative AI, manufacturing, medical imaging, biosignals and automotive radar.

Where can the inventive contribution lie in a RAG system?

It may lie in retrieval selection, evaluation, reranking, filtering, context construction or the transfer of information to the LLM. Distinctive methods of verifying or correcting output also merit analysis.

What should we cover when discussing an AI agent invention?

Explain the control flow: tool selection, task sequencing, API execution, user approvals, error handling, retries and output verification. These details help identify the technical contribution and the appropriate scope of protection to consider.

Put your IP strategy into practice.