SEOUL, November 05 (AJP) - South Korea’s Patent Court has invalidated the “Hyundai” trademark owned by Puerto Rico-based Hyundai Technology, ending a yearslong legal dispute over one of Korea’s most recognizable corporate names.
The ruling, handed down in May, resolved a conflict that began in 2020 when Hyundai Technology filed suit over the use of the “Hyundai Connect” trademark. The case drew attention in South Korea’s business community for pitting two of the country’s leading industrial groups — Hyundai Motor Group and HD Hyundai Group — against a little-known overseas company using their shared legacy name.
According to legal and industry sources, the two Hyundai groups began jointly pursuing legal action in 2023 to reclaim the disputed mark. The Patent Court ultimately sided with them, nullifying Hyundai Technology’s registration and ordering the company to pay legal costs.
The “Hyundai” mark was originally filed by Hyundai Electronics in 1990 but changed hands several times before being acquired by Hyundai Technology in 2019. Hyundai Motor and HD Hyundai filed for invalidation later, arguing that the name had long served as a source identifier for the Hyundai corporate family and that its use by an unrelated foreign entity risked misleading consumers.
The ruling also closes a chapter of lingering confusion that began after the breakup of the original Hyundai Group in the early 2000s. At the time, incomplete trademark divisions led to disputes over intellectual property rights, some of which ended up in the hands of companies overseas.
In its decision, the court noted that “Hyundai” remains widely recognized worldwide as representing the South Korean conglomerate and its affiliates, emphasizing that unauthorized use could “cause confusion among consumers.”
* This article, published by Economic Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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