Skip to main content
EN
|
DE
Pine IP Firm
HomeIntroductionExpertsPractice AreasInsightsKorean IP SystemContact Information

GUI, Icon, and Screen Design Protection in South Korea

Pine IP Firm
September 10, 2026

Since October 21, 2021, the Korean Design Protection Act has permitted qualifying image designs to be registered independently from a physical article. The amendment applies to digitally or electronically expressed figures and symbols, including portions of an image, when they are used to operate a device or are displayed as a device performs a function.

Digital interface workflow being sketched for Korean GUI design protection

A graphical user interface, icon, or screen may be filed as an independent image design or as a partial design displayed on an article. The representations and description determine what is claimed and affect both registrability and enforcement scope.

Independent image designs

An independent image-design application is not tied to a particular display product. The image must satisfy the statutory requirement that it be used for device operation or displayed when a device performs a function. Potential subjects include a control interface, functional icon, data-display screen, virtual keyboard, projected interface, or other functional digital image.

An app icon may therefore be filed without depicting a smartphone when the icon and its stated use satisfy the requirements for an independent image design.

Screen designs applied to an article

A screen may also be claimed as a partial design of an article such as a display panel, mobile device, vehicle console, or appliance. This form is relevant when the position, proportion, or visual relationship between the interface and the product forms part of the design.

The two filing forms protect different subject matter. Separate applications may be appropriate when both the image itself and its placement on a particular product have commercial significance.

Eligible interface elements

Depending on the statutory use and the filed representations, protectable subject matter may include:

  • application home screens and navigation arrangements;
  • functional icons and icon groups;
  • control panels and dashboards;
  • onboarding and transaction screens;
  • functional data displays;
  • screen transitions, sequences, and animated states;
  • augmented-reality or projected controls; and
  • a selected portion of a larger interface.

Decorative digital content that does not meet the operation-or-function requirement may require an article-based design filing or protection under copyright, trademark, contract, or unfair-competition law.

Static and moving images

A static representation does not define a transition or animation. If the design resides in an expansion, page transition, loading sequence, or gesture response, the application should show the relevant states and their progression consistently.

The description should identify the relationship among the states without claiming an abstract software function. Separate applications may be required when the depicted states are independent alternatives rather than successive portions of one moving design.

The filing record should identify whether a competitor is expected to copy a static screen, a transition, an icon group, or an overall arrangement. The figures should claim the selected feature directly.

Partial-design scope

Unclaimed portions may be used to exclude variable text, data values, device frames, background content, or other elements that are not material to the design. The claimed and unclaimed portions must be visually clear and consistent in every view.

Including unnecessary details may narrow the practical comparison with an accused design. Excluding a distinctive element may leave that feature outside the registered scope. A filing set may therefore include separate applications for:

  • the complete interface;
  • a selected component or card arrangement;
  • a distinctive functional icon;
  • a transition sequence; and
  • related variations used on different platforms.

Changes to variable text or data do not automatically avoid infringement. The comparison depends on the claimed visual features and the similarity standard applied to the registered design.

Disclosure before filing

An app-store release, beta program, product demonstration, design portfolio, investor presentation, or online video may disclose a GUI before filing. Article 36 of the Design Protection Act provides a 12-month novelty exception for qualifying disclosures by a person entitled to obtain the design registration, subject to the required claim and evidence.

The exception does not change the filing date and does not eliminate all third-party risk. Filing before public release remains preferable. The design team should maintain a record of the disclosed design, date, person, location, and disclosure medium.

Creator and ownership records

GUI and icon work may involve employees, contractors, agencies, open-source material, and third-party libraries. Before filing, the applicant should confirm:

  • the creator of each claimed element;
  • assignment of the right to apply for design registration and any related copyright;
  • the use and licence terms of templates, stock icons, and third-party components;
  • ownership of local variants produced by a partner; and
  • removal of confidential customer data and personal information from the representations.

A design application does not resolve a defect in title to the underlying work.

Relationship with other IP rights

A design registration protects the visual design shown in the registration. It does not protect an algorithm, technical architecture, or abstract interaction concept. Depending on the product, additional protection may include:

  • patents for a technical interaction or processing invention;
  • copyright for original graphics and software code;
  • trademarks for source-identifying icons or application symbols;
  • trade secrets for unreleased logic, data, and methods; and
  • contract terms governing vendors, developers, and testers.

Filing record

The filing instruction should identify the selected filing form, claimed portions, functional use, static or moving character, known disclosures, creators, ownership documents, and any related patent, trademark, or copyright filing. The figures should be reviewed against the production interface before filing.

Official references

Related South Korea IP guidance

Legal and editorial review: July 16, 2026. Korea’s current IP authority is the Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP), formerly KIPO.

This article provides general information and does not constitute a registrability or infringement opinion. Korean law and Ministry practice may change, and the appropriate filing depends on the design and relevant dates.