IPOPHL partners with investors for safeguarding IP rights
13 August 2024
Photo: IPOPHL
To support inventors in safeguarding their intellectual property and advancing the commercialization of their inventions both domestically and internationally, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the Filipino Inventors Society (FIS) inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed by IPOPHL Director-General Rowel S. Barba and FIS President Ronald P. Pagsanghan.
Under the MOA, IPOPHL will enable FIS to offer IP expertise to its members, offer technical support under the Inventor Assistance Program (IAP), offer assistance with enforcement-related issues and assist in fostering closer ties between FIS members and organizations that can increase inventors’ visibility in domestic and foreign markets.
Meanwhile, FIS pledges to actively assist and collaborate with IPOPHL in promoting respect for intellectual property, increasing awareness and enticing its members to register and uphold their technology transfer agreements and IP rights.
IPOPHL and FIS will collaborate to support each other’s efforts aimed at improving the nation’s innovation. “This partnership will undoubtedly encourage other Filipinos to start their IP journey as well, leading to more creations that could change society for the better,” said Barba.
As per the work plan outlined in the MOA, IPOPHL will be responsible for creating a register that includes all patents and inventors, along with the particular actions that each party will execute individually and collectively.
According to Barba, IPOPHL will also see to it that FIS members will receive the following assistance to take advantage of its incentive programs for independent and beginning innovators:
- Juana Patent and Juana Design Protection Incentive Program, which waives some application fees for eligible women inventors;
- Youth IP Incentive Program, which waives certain fees and offers start-to-finish customer support in IP application; and
- Inventor Assistance Program, which connects independent inventors with pro bono patent experts for assistance with the patent application process.
The new relationship may help the Marcos administration achieve its objective of having the Philippines rise significantly in the Global Innovation Index by 2028, but according to FIS’s Pagsanghan, the collaboration’s objectives go beyond “just rankings and membership.”
“Inventors fear that sharing their invention prototypes with institutions will expose their future IP assets to theft,” said Pagsanghan. “This fear dampens the spirit of collaboration and the inspiration of inventors who are discredited from what they have created and seek to further develop as technologies that Filipinos could be proud of.”
“Through this MOA, we encourage our members to protect and commercialize their inventions, ensuring they receive the recognition and compensation they deserve,” he added.
- Excel V. Dyquiangco
