Trademark program extended

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) agreed to extend the “Juana Make a Mark” trademark registration incentive program to accommodate more trademark applications.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez and IPOPHL Deputy Director General Teodoro Pascua signed on the sidelines of the MSME Summit in Clark, Pampanga province earlier this week the addendum to the agreement on the program, which waives the payment of filing, colorclaim and publication fees for micro, small, and medium enterprises that meet certain conditions.

The addendum extends the program for another year and allows an additional 1,000 MSME trademark applications to be entertained until February 2019, or until all 2000 applications have been availed of.

According to the department, the program would allow enterprises to save up to P3,000 from the waived fees.

“‘Juana Make a Mark’ is part of our strategy to help MSMEs be a part of the local supply chain and eventually venture out to the global market,” Lopez said.

To qualify for the program, MSMEs must be operating in the two agencies’ priority sectors; located in areas prone to natural disasters or facing social and economic challenges; have business names registered by the Trade department; have at most two unregistered marks used on goods and services; have no more than five employees; and is in business for at least one year or has limited financial capability.

These sectors are agribusiness (food and resourcebased processing), aerospace parts, automotive and auto spare parts, chemicals, electronic manufacturing and semi-conductor manufacturing services, construction, design-oriented furniture and garments, shipbuilding (RORO, small or mediumsized vessels), information technology and business process management, tool and die, tourism, transport and logistics.

“We are extending this assistance program to get more MSMEs, especially in far-flung areas of the country, into the fold of protecting their trademarks,” IPOPHL Director General Josephine Santiago said.

“The success of the first round of the program shows MSMEs are realizing the significance of trademarks, and give them an edge in marketing their products,” she added.

IPOPHL launched the program in 2017 and set a target of 1,000 trademarks to be registered within a year.

Most of the MSMEs that applied under the program were in the class of local pastries, delicacies, coffee, tea, and sugar, followed by food processed from fruits and vegetables indigenous to the area.

“With the extension of the program, more MSMEs are expected to maximize the use of the TM system to boost their business competitiveness,” IPO Philippines said.

ANNA LEAH E. GONZALES