◀ again ▶
Drug tteokbokki, drug kimbap and pharmaceuticals and restaurants of some time ago?
But in the future we may not be able to see these signs.
With the recent rise in drug crime among young people, the government is considering ways to regulate the use of names with “drugs”.
This was reported by correspondent Kim Tae-wook.
◀ Report ▶
A tteokbokki restaurant specializing in delivery in Daejeon.
On the sign, the word “drug” is written in front of the tteokbokki.
It means you can get addicted to it after just one bite and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to use that phrase again.
[마약 떡볶이 가맹점주]
“I can’t even do business … I’m in a situation where I have to change everything starting with the business. (Business) I can’t …”
It has been pointed out that teenagers can accept “drugs” as a good meaning by adding “drugs” in front of tteokbokki or gimbap to mean that they can be addicted because they are delicious.
In fact, the number of Korea’s top 10 drug offenders has increased nearly 3.5 times in five years from 69 in 2017 to 309 last year.
[권은희 / 국민의힘 국회의원]
“I have come to the judgment that ‘this is a problematic perception’ that recognizes only this part of effectiveness as a marketing tool …”
As cases where drugs are properly advertised have increased, the Korean Intellectual Property Office has received 150 trademark applications containing drug names in the past five years, but the Korean Intellectual Property Office has not. accepted as they damage public morals.
[박주연 / 특허청 상표심사정책과장]
“The Korean Intellectual Property Office basically refused to register trademarks for names containing terms such as drugs, opium or hemp.”
In 2018, when a trademark application for “drug cushion” was filed, the Korean Intellectual Property Office and the Intellectual Property Court rejected the registration, but the Patent Court said that in 2019 it is difficult to conclude that it will damage public order or good morals just by the presence of the word drug, rejected the decision of the Patent Office.
As for where the change in the law conflicts with existing precedents, the Patent Court said it expects the court to make a decision after considering it.
I’m Kim Tae-wook of MBC News.
Video coverage: Yang Cheol-gyu (Daejeon)
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