IPOPHL, WIPO advance IP valuation knowledge of over 100 tech managers, entrepreneurs

05 November 2024

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) recently organized a three-day training on the valuation of intellectual property assets. 

The workshop, which took place from October 22 to 24, 2024, included basic and advanced lectures on valuation to improve technology managers’ and businesses’ comprehension of the different valuation methodologies and concepts when applying them to real-world scenarios. Participant-speaker interactive talks also functioned as simulation exercises that placed people at the centre of business choices based on their IP asset appraisal.

“You play a crucial role in bridging the gap between intellectual property and the market by assessing the value of breakthroughs. Businesses, inventors, and IP producers may all benefit fully from their creative endeavours when their value is accurate and well-informed,” said IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba. “This is a responsibility that has a far-reaching impact on innovation, industry growth and even national economic growth.”

He also thanked the Japan IP Office and ASEAN Secretariat for their ongoing assistance, as well as WIPO, for choosing the Philippines as the venue for its seminar. 

According to Michael Kos, finance and valuation expert at WIPO’s IP commercialization section, the use of intellectual property and intangibles for finance is still in its infancy in most areas of the globe, even though the economic growth of intangible assets has outpaced that of physical commodities over the decades. 

Kos emphasized the significance of valuation in guiding choices about mergers and acquisitions, accounting, dispute resolution and licensing, saying: “The value of intangible assets remains invisible in the world of finance despite its growing influence and importance.”

Finding “tangible, consistent and trusted” valuation methods is the largest obstacle to IP valuation, according to Kos, who cited a 2023 WIPO survey that included nearly 400 practitioners, financial experts, technology managers, and businesses from ten ASEAN member states.

Kos proposed WIPO’s IP Toolkit for the ASEAN states as a remedy, to which IPOPHL contributed. The toolkit might be used as a reference, with its thorough instructions on IP valuation procedures, helpful references, and case studies of the finest valuation techniques in the ASEAN area.

- Excel V. Dyquiangco

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