IPOPHL eyes 50% growth in intellectual property filings from provinces in 2018

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is eyeing 50 percent growth in intellectual property filings from the provinces this year.

During the Intellectual Property Field Operations Unit dialogue with the Director General held recently, IPOPHL Director General Josephine R. Santiago said they will bolster awareness of intellectual property outside of Metro Manila, and will be making significant expansion strides in untapped cities this year.

Santiago put forward the challenge to hit a 50 percent growth in intellectual property filings from the provinces this

A 50 percent growth would translate to total IP filings target from the provinces at 5,159 for 2018, coming from IP filings from the countryside at 3,439 in 2017.

From 2013-2017, the IPOPHL has seen an average of 14 percent annual growth in intellectual property filings outside of Metro Manila.

“Our overarching objective in spreading the presence of IPSOs is to be able to stimulate the countryside into knowing and making the public, especially the micro,small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs, know that trademark is very relevant to their business – and to directly bring our services to them. We expect that with this, there will be more filers,” said Santiago said during the dialogue.

IPOPHL will be setting up two more intellectual property satellite offices (IPSOs) this year: one in Dumaguete , to be launched on May 23rd, and another in Zamboanga in the second half of the year.

In the capacity-building seminar for IP Satellite offices held prior to the dialogue, Deputy Director General Teodoro C. Pascua underlined the need to at least maintain, and at best exceed the 14 percent annual growth in IP filings from the countryside.

“The total IP filings from the provinces, in the period of 2013 to 2017 had been increasing with a notable 14 percent increase for the 5-year period. Increasing the filing and use of IP services is critical in order for IPOPHL to continuously promote intellectual property all across the country,” Deputy Director General Pascua said.

In 2013, the total IP filings from the regions and provinces were at within DTI offices in the following cities: Cebu, Davao, Baguio, Pampanga, Legazpi, General Santos, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Tuguegarao, Tacloban, and the NCR office.

Intellectual property filings received by IPOPHL encompasses trademarks, patents, copyright deposits, utility models, industrial designs, and layout of integrated circuits. In the regions and provinces, however, the IP filings facilitated by IPSOs are comprised mostly by trademark, copyright, and patents.

On the total IP filings from the countryside in 2017, trademarks took 59 percent or 2,025; copyright deposits are 27 percent, or 933 filings, and patents at 481, or 14 percent. Small businesses most often apply for trademarks for their product branding, while educational and research institutions, and individual inventors make use patents and utility models.