Netflix's IP Strategy Seen Through TM Data
Pine IP
August 28, 2025
As of August 28, 2025, Netflix has strengthened its intellectual property (IP) portfolio by filing 106 trademark applications in Korea and 379 in the US. This is part of a detailed brand management strategy that goes beyond simply preempting the title of the content and aims to expand the multifaceted business around a single IP. In this column, I would like to analyze Netflix's trademark management strategy through the latest trademark application status and statistical data.
The most prominent feature of Netflix's trademark management is that trademark applications are completed before content is released to the public, or even before production announcements. Netflix Studios (LLC) has registered many Korean trademark applications that have been confirmed this time, such as The Boy with the Last Line, a vole, and this kind of crazy love.
This pre-filing and post-disclosure strategy has the following effects.
First, Securing stable rightsThis is it. If a trademark application is filed after the content is successful, a third party may preempt the name without permission or apply for a similar trademark, causing legal disputes. Netflix prevents this and reliably secures exclusive rights to use content. In the past, even for Squid games, Netflix had already obtained a trademark two years before they aired, laying the foundation for IP protection.
Second, Implication of a business planThis is it. You can predict what kind of content Netflix will launch in the future by looking at what name the trademark has been filed under. This is an important clue that goes beyond a simple title and provides a glimpse into Netflix's future content pipeline.
Netflix's grand ambitions are more clearly evident in trademark application statistics. The intention to move beyond a simple video content production company to a comprehensive entertainment company using IP is captured in the product classification (Class) data.
Statistical analysis of Korean applications: A total of 106 applications are pending in Korea Class 41 (entertainment business, video production/distribution business) has 96 casesIt accounts for an overwhelming share. This shows Netflix's strategy to prioritize the protection of rights to original content production and distribution, which is its core business. But what follows Class 9 (audio/visual equipment, software, apps), Class 25 (clothing), Class 16 (printed materials, books), Class 28 (toys, game consoles) The status of applications such as these is something worth paying attention to. This means that an IP expansion roadmap is being established in advance, where the success of the content immediately leads to related products (goods), publications, games, etc.
Statistical analysis of US applications: In the US market, where a total of 379 applications have been filed, this diversification strategy is even more prominent. Core business 301 cases in class 41It is the most common, but it is closely followed by Class 25 (clothing, 49 items), Class 16 (printed materials, 43 items), Class 28 (toys, 38 items), and Class 9 (software, 30 items). In particular, KPOP DEMON HUNTERS, which was recently applied for, is a toy category of 28, and STRANGE THINGS CATALYST has applied for Class 41, which is a core business, which is a typical example of using a customized expansion strategy based on the nature of IP. This clearly shows the ambition to go beyond online streaming services and build a huge brand centered around successful IPs.
Statistics by filing year show how aggressive Netflix has been in securing IP.
This application trend is data showing that trademarks are being strategically secured in line with market changes and content disclosure cycles. In particular, the fact that a number of trademark applications have already been filed in 2024 and 2025 proves that Netflix's proactive IP management system, which looks ahead to the future, is working effectively.
Netflix's trademark management strategy goes beyond simply protecting legal rights and is part of active and aggressive management activities that suggest future business models and growth directions. Fast trademark preemption before content release, IP diversification strategies clearly revealed by statistical data, and aggressive market preemption intentions analyzed through application periods clearly show how Netflix capitalizes content IP and maximizes its value.
For companies, a trademark is not just a name tag; it is a brand identity and a core asset that guarantees future value. The example of Netflix reminds us once again how important systematic, data-based intellectual property management is in the content industry today. Attention is being paid to what other new territories Netflix will explore using a tool called a trademark in the future.
