Is there a way to allow application overrides of global shortcuts?

For instance, I use IntelliJ Idea, which has dozens of shortcuts I use everyday. One if Ctrl-Alt-L to reformat code. That key sequence for KDE4 locks the session.

I'd like NOT to reset the KDE4 lock session shortcut, thus having it available when not in IntelliJ.

Any ideas?

I do not think that is possible. Global Shortcuts are claimed by kded, when you login. It is not capable of telling when an application is open. The only solution for you is to change the keyboard shortcut, as kded is not equipped to tell if a particular application is open.

create a kwin window rule which excludes intellij from receiving global shortcuts, works great!