Horrific Crime 4 Years Ago... Arson Over Patent Registration Conflict?

[Anchor]

The suspect in his 70s registered two exercise equipment patents 6 to 7 years ago. However, he continuously expressed dissatisfaction, claiming he did not receive the paper patent certificates, and ended up committing a horrific crime. It is reported that the patents were actually properly registered under his own name.

Next, reporter Jeong Jiyeon has the details.

[Reporter]

The target of the 70-year-old serial arsonist A in Yeoksam-dong was two patent corporations that had previously handled the domestic and international design registrations and patent issuances for exercise equipment he developed.

In 2019, he entrusted the two corporations with the patent application for a "strength exercise equipment" in which both supports sustain a cylindrical rod, and in 2020, for another "exercise equipment" with a slightly different shape.

[Suspect A: (Did you have bad feelings toward the patent corporation?) I filed a patent in 2000, and they defrauded me.]

It was found that A had already been penalized 4 years ago for threatening employees of the relevant patent corporations. He had requested paper registration certificates, but was told that some countries do not issue them, and believing he was deceived when they demanded additional costs required for patent renewals and other procedures.

At that time, A also bought 2 liters of gasoline, divided it into four plastic bottles, poured gasoline on the faces of employees at the two patent corporations, and swung scissors at a fleeing employee while pretending to ignite a lighter.

The court of first instance sentenced A, who was indicted on charges of special intimidation, to 2 years and 6 months in prison, stating, "It was a very dangerous act that could have caused additional harm," while noting that "he promised not to repeat the act or seek out the victims."

Both A and the prosecution appealed, but the appellate court dismissed the appeals, and his sentence was finalized by the Supreme Court, leading to his release from prison last year.

The Korean Patent Attorneys Association issued a statement condemning the arson and acts of violence, pointing out, "The intellectual property rights raised by A are properly registered under his own name," and adding, "It appears he misunderstood that his rights were not properly registered simply because he did not receive a physical paper certificate."

(Video reporting: Joo Yong-jin, Video editing: Lee Hong-myeong, Design: Choi Jae-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.