Kibo expands patent sales for bankrupt companies, supporting technology acquisition by SMEs.

The Korea Technology Finance Corporation (Korea Technology Finance Corporation, Chairman Kim Jong-ho, hereinafter referred to as “KIBO”) announced on Friday the 14th that it will fully expand its “Patent Sale Project for Bankrupt Companies” to prevent the loss of excellent patented technologies held by bankrupt companies and to expand opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises to secure technologies.

This project, launched in February, aims to preserve the value of technological assets by leveraging the superior patents held by bankrupt companies for new uses and to expedite bankruptcy proceedings. To achieve this, KIBO has been entrusted by the rehabilitation court to sell patents and is using its technology transaction platform, "Smart Tech Bridge," to identify companies in need and mediate technology transfers.

This year, KIBO collaborated with the Seoul Bankruptcy Court to conduct two patent sales, including a pilot project, and successfully transferred technology for 25 of the 55 patents that were at risk of expiration. This significant achievement expanded opportunities for open innovation for small and medium-sized enterprises and provided substantial benefits to bankruptcy creditors, including increased repayment.

Building on this achievement, KIBO plans to expand its cooperation to the Suwon and Busan Bankruptcy Courts to facilitate the sale of patents from bankrupt companies. Furthermore, KIBO plans to enhance operational efficiency through institutional improvements, including: directly collecting patents eligible for sale; clarifying selection criteria for patents eligible for sale; strengthening fairness through the introduction of an open competitive bidding system; and reducing brokerage fees (from 15 percentage points to 10 percentage points).

Kibo CEO Lee Sang-chang said, “As a leading technology transaction organization, Kibo is actively supporting excellent patented technologies that are at risk of disappearing due to bankruptcy to be reused as growth engines for small and medium-sized enterprises.” He added, “Going forward, Kibo will continue to strengthen cooperation with the rehabilitation court, focusing on Smart Tech Bridge, to revitalize the technology transaction market and create a technology commercialization ecosystem.”

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