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Innovation-related filings increase in the Philippines
04 September 2023
As governmental and private assistance fostering innovation starts to yield fruit, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) saw an increase in registrations for innovation-focused forms of intellectual property in the first half of the year.
According to preliminary statistics from IPOPHL, utility model (UM) files have had constant rise each month while patent and industrial design (ID) submissions increased year-over-year, practically every month between January and June. “UM and ID applications are moving toward an astonishing resurgence, and patent activity may be poised to set a new record high. We inferred from this that 2023 is leaning toward becoming a year of innovation,” said Director General Rowel S. Barba.
He pointed out that the government has been implementing a number of policies, such as the Innovative Startup Act, Philippine Innovation Act, Ease of Doing Business Act, Foreign Investments Act and CREATE Law, to streamline government operations, coordinate resources and support strategic innovation investments.
The startup environment in Manila alone has increased to US$3.5 billion, up 85 percent from the US$2.1 billion indicated in the 2022 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER).
“IPOPHL will actively promote IP protection more than ever throughout the remainder of 2023. Tempered commercial activity shouldn’t translate into lessened IP protection. We also reaffirm the benefits of effective IP protection over the long term and warn the business community of the frequently irreversible repercussions of failing to safeguard their valuable IP assets,” said Deputy Director General Ann Claire C. Cabochan.
