The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) surpassed their target for 2016 by installing Innovation and Technology Support Offices (ITSOs) in 31 instead of 22 out of 87 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). ITSOs are units aiding institutions in managing their intellectual property (IP) assets and their commercialization. IPOPHL Director General Josephine Santiago presented this at the June 10 public governance forum, where she went into detail on the progress of their governance roadmap and scorecard. The event, held at the Unilab Campus Bayanihan Center, was organized by the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) and co-convened by the National Competitiveness Council (NCC).
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ISA CEO Alex Lacson gives the audience briefing before the IPOPHL revalida for PGS Compliance.
Since adopting the Performance Governance System (PGS) as its transformation framework in 2015, IPOPHL has started initiatives towards achieving their 2 breakthrough goals: the intensification of the utilization of the IP system by HEIs and MSMEs to promote competitiveness and innovation and the entrenchment the Philippine patent regime into the global IP ecosystem.
Aside from the ITSO for the HEIs, IPOPHL aims to improve its assistance to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with their branding. To reach their target of 8,000 MSMEs by 2016, the organization plans to reduce steps for business owners to acquire a trademark by linking the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) business name registration process with the trademark application process. There have been 2,350 MSMEs that filed for trademark so far. For the 2nd breakthrough goal, IPOPHL made agreements with several organizations to get International Searching authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) designations.
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IPOPHL Director General Atty. Josephine Santiago discusses the organization’s strategic initiatives.
IPOPHL is also developing the National Intellectual Property Strategy (NIPS) alongside key champions from different public sector agencies to have “effective creation, development, management, and protection of IP at the national level.” The organization made an agreement with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to start this whole of government approach by 2017. Santiago explained that the timeline would work well since the new administration would have already been settled.
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Director General Atty. Santiago explains IPOPHL’s strategy at the panel discussion.
After the presentation, Santiago answered questions from the IPOPHL panel composed of ISA’s Atty. Fe Barin and Mr. Rex Drilon II, Dow Chemicals Pacific Ltd’s Mr. Robert Batungbacal, Isla Lipana Foundation’s Ms. Tammy Lipana, Deloitte Philippines’ Mr. Greg Navarro, and Makati Business Club’s Mr. Peter Perfecto.
IPOPHL was conferred as PGS Compliant, the second level of the four-level governance reform program, at the end of the forum. They were also given the Silver Trailblazer award for their superior progress towards substantive transformation in governance and service delivery.
To contact the editor of this story, email Marielle Antonio at [email protected].[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]