Kyu Ho Lee. ]]> BKL Legal Update of March 21, 2011.) Beginning in February 2010, the BKL team advised on the Ministry-level drafts of the successful bill, and was involved in the extensive consultations, involving technical and other experts, which produced the innovative legislation. The law is widely seen as an important step in fostering R&D and growth in key sectors over the coming years. The BKL team included Yangho Oh, Wook Yoo and Sungho Kim of our Government Policy and Regulation practice group, and Han Joo Gil of our Administrative Law practice group.]]> In related action, BKL blocks HDO dividends to IPIC affiliates In the meantime BKL also prevailed in ancillary litigation with the IPIC side. Despite the order in the November 2009 arbitral award to transfer the shares without further ado, in March 2010 the IPIC side attempted to procure dividends from HDO for the 2009 fiscal year, worth around US$50 million for the IPIC side, relying on the fact that at least in form they remained holders of 70% of the stock. In expedited proceedings before the Seosan District Court to block HDO action on the dividend, BKL won an injunction effectively prohibiting the declaration of such a dividend for the IPIC side. In its decision handed down in March 26, 2010, the court reasoned that the IPIC-affiliated shareholders were in no position to enact the dividend without the HHI side’s consent, given the thrust of the arbitral award and also the likely prospect of its affirmation in the enforcement action—a prospect that has now been borne out as noted above.]]> Japan’s Sanrio Company, Ltd, the company famous for its Hello Kitty trademark, registered a trademark around in July 2005, with Kim & Chang as its agent for application for the trademark registration. The trademark is a heart-shaped figure with the letters “KT” engraved in it. KT Corp. tried to block the registration of such trademark since the application for such trademark was filed, but to no avail. KT Corp. also lost a case in the nullity trial on registration on January 30, 2009. However, after taking charge of the suit seeking for the cancellation of such trial decision, BKL LLC’s intellectual property group and BKL IP Group have gathered a lot of materials about the case and established a perfectly logical theory. As a result, we won a ruling from the patent court that KT was already a well-known trademark in Korea even before July 2005, considering that KT Corp. conducted CI work for KT, spent tens of billions of Korean won per year on corporate public relations and commercial advertisements, with its sales being over KRW 1.1 billion, and that more than 97% of Koreans are aware of KT and the corporate slogan of “Let’s KT.” Consequently, Sanrio Company’s registration of KT trademark was invalidated, and it has become impossible for other companies to use KT as a trademark. Therefore, KT Corp.’s trademark KT has gained a tremendous brand value. ]]> \n