Philippines now chairs APEC-IPEG
23 February 2023
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) will now have greater influence in advocating for laws, discussions, and best practices that make the intellectual property (IP) system a tool for accelerated innovation and creativity thanks to the Philippines' election as chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's Intellectual Property Rights Experts Group (APEC-IPEG).
"We appreciate the APEC member economies' confidence in us. Their trust in IPOPHL is a result of the work we have done and the results we have obtained in the Philippines and among the ASEAN nations as chair of the ASEAN Working Group on IP Cooperation (AWGIPC),” Director General Rowel S. Barba stated that IPOPHL would work to promote a welcoming and inclusive IP landscape in the Asia-Pacific region.
Barba revealed that the Philippines was approached by several APEC member economies encouraging IPOPHL to run for the IPEG chairmanship in light of its impressive chairmanship at the AWGIPC and the good work the Philippines is doing in the region during the nomination process for the next IPEG head following the chairmanship of the Republic of Korea (ROK).
The execution of the ASEAN IP Rights Action Plan 2016–2025 intensified under Barba's leadership of the AWGIPC. By December 2022, 72% of the promised deliverables had been met, up from 37.5% in March 2021. The establishment of the ASEAN IP Academy, research into best practices for IP valuation, feasibility studies on an ASEAN-wide unitary patent system, and harmonization of formality standards for industrial design applications are among the deliverables that the Philippines helped complete or start during Barba's term.
In its capacity as IPEG chair this time around, IPOPHL will concentrate on promoting fruitful conversations toward practical conclusions regarding IP finance, IP in the digital economy and interconnectivity, IP for sustainable and equitable growth, and other IP-related cross-cutting concerns.
He believes that IPEG's initiatives will help IPOPHL achieve the objectives of Putrajaya Vision 2040. (PV2040). With the pursuit of three economic drivers—trade and investment; innovation and digitalization; and a robust, balanced, secure, sustainable, and inclusive growth—new APEC's plan, PV2040 aims to create an open, vibrant, resilient, and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by the year 2040.
- Excel Dyquiangco
