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Patent Application for Authentication Technology Surges in Electronic Commerce Related Areas
Recently, there has been a trend where the number of patent applications in authentication technology continues to climb in the field of electronic commerce. This trend can be explained as many venture firms that already have developed their business models try to come up with solutions to problems occurring during their application stage. This also shows that electronic commerce in Korea is beginning to mature.
If we observe the statistics for patent application in authentication technology, the number of applications was quite small until 1998, and then from 1999 and on, the number of business model patent applications skyrocketed due to popularity in the venture business and the internet business. Such popularity was followed by the increase in the number of applications in authentication technology (refer to table A). Also, statistics reveal that all applicants in authentication technology filed until 1998 are foreign nationals or major corporations. However, from 1999, as the number of applications surged, individuals or venture companies have become the majority of applicants(refer to table B).
Authentication technology is a technology used by cyber shopping mall through the internet where the seller would use this technology to identify whether the intended purchaser or the user is actually authorized to purchase or use its service.
In addition to the identification process, this authentication technology would record the transaction made and have a Non-Refutation function where the purchaser who agreed to purchase certain item cannot come back and say that he or she did not agree to purchase the item. One of the most popular methods of authentication is to use digital signature based on the secret coding of the public key. However, as authentication technology develops and accepts multitude characters, authentications reflect their own unique styles of businesses.
[ Table A ] Number of business model applications vs. Number of applications in authentication technology
| |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
| business model applications |
64 |
90 |
121 |
541 |
6250 |
| applications in authentication technology |
4 |
18 |
24 |
58 |
74 |
[ Table B ] Applicants of applications in authentication technology
| |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
| foreign national / Major Corporation |
4 |
18 |
24 |
38 |
27 |
| Individual / Venture companies |
0 |
0 |
0 |
20 |
47 |
| Total |
4 |
18 |
24 |
58 |
74 |
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