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The Philippines celebrates National Intellectual Property Month
05 April 2024
With the theme “IP and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals),” the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) officially kicked off National Intellectual Property Month (NIPM) this April. The organization challenged businesses, innovators and creators to help accelerate progress in realizing the SDGs on people, peace, planet and prosperity.
This came after the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) established a theme for World IP Day on April 26, 2024. The goal is to emphasize IP as a crucial motivator for innovation and creativity.
At the kick-off press conference on April 1, 2024, Barba expressed concern that developing nations like the Philippines and the least developed ones are disproportionately affected by the slow pace of SDG realization. He cited a United Nations report from 2023 in support of his claim that 15 percent of the 140 quantifiable targets had made progress toward their goals, while 30 percent of the targets showed no growth at all.
“Now is the time for the IP community to step up to the challenge,” said Barba. He urged IP rights holders and creators to turn to the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, which recognizes the key role that the IP system and innovation play in the country’s goals towards inclusiveness, climate resilience, green energy, modernized agriculture and an overall better standard of living.
“As the PDP said, we need ‘a more vigorous intellectual property culture’ to advance innovations in various aspects, whether in improving health care services, developing competitive industries, creating knowledge hubs across regions, protecting our culture and adding value to our creative and innovative assets,” added Barba.
Some of the activities include awareness, education and capacity-building activities for various sectors of the IP community. The culminating event is the Gawad Yamang Isip (GYI) Awards scheduled for April 29, 2024. The GYI Awards is a platform for discussions aimed at improving the state of IP in the country. It also recognizes businesses, innovators and creators optimizing their IP assets in relation to the NIPM 2024 theme in focus.
- Excel V. Dyquiangco
