The Philippines kicked-off activities for APEC SOM3 on 22 August 2015 in Cebu City. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) was one of the first agencies under the Department of Trade and Industry to conduct meetings with the Intellectual Property Experts Group (APEC-IPEG) chaired by Mr. Miguel Angel Margain of the Industrial Property of the United Mexican States. Prior to the start of the first day of the APEC-IPEG meeting on 22 August 2015 at the Santa Maria Room in Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu, the Philippines organized a breakfast meeting with the delegates from South Korea, Russia and Mexico to push its two proposals on (1) Brand Development for MSMEs (micro, small and medium-sized enterprises) and (2) IP Valuation, Financing and Commercialization for MSMEs.
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APEC Intellectual Property Rights Experts' Group (IPEG) Workshop: the Role of Trade Secrets for
MSMEs in Attracting Financing and Integrating into Global Supply Chains #APEC2015 #IPEG
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The United States hosted a workshop on trade secret protection for the APEC-IPEG delegates. The US delegate lauded during the meeting proper, the event a success and was helpful for the delegates in understanding trade secret protection as, among others, a tool in facilitating the regional and global expansion of MSMEs.
After the hosted workshop, the APEC IPEG Chairman officially opened the meeting sessions with a remarkable message as quoted:
“Good morning to all and welcome to the IPEG’s 41st Meeting. It is such a pleasure to gather today to continue sharing our experiences and efforts on nourishing each of our IP systems to contribute to a larger development of our economies.
Within this forum, there have been such substantive projects on a diversity of subjects that have detonated collaborative initiatives and have inspired other economies to adapt or develop new ones in their own context. This is where its richness relies, in the infinite possible synergies that can be set off from sharing a single idea. On these two days, we will be devoted to presenting our different approaches on significant IP matters, learning from each other’s best practices and building together new paths on the impelling field that intellectual property puts before us.
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| APEC IPEG Chairman Miguel Angel Margain |
I am thrilled to meet you this time in Cebu City, often called “The Queen City of the South” – capital to the Cebu Province and the oldest city in the Philippines. As the second city in the country, it is one of its main centers for commerce, trade, industry and education, which make it a perfect venue for us to close IPEG’s Philippines cycle this year.
On this opportunity I would like to deeply thank our 2015 hosts for offering such amazing locations which have provided us with a beautiful background for these incredibly fruitful meetings. Thank you Philippines for your hard work and unrivalled hospitality.
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| IPOPHL OIC-Director General Allan B. Gepty |
As in all IPEG Meetings, I would like to ask members if someone wants to make any last minute changes to the Agenda; this means to place an item differently than it is now schedules. Please consider that some items were deleted from the Agenda as we did not receive any request on that particular topic for this session, and in order to work more efficiently; however, it bares to mention that these items will be reinstated in future agendas as requested.”
During the APEC-IPEG meeting, the Philippines did a presentation on the “IPOPHL Rules and Regulations in the Exercise of Enforcement Functions.” Only few IP Offices in the world have this mandate. The presentation walked the delegates through the related procedures such as, the IP Office can only exercise the function with the help of other enforcement agencies. It noted that the exercise of the enforcement functions helps in deterring IP violations. The USA lauded the Philippines’ “creative and energetic” enforcement efforts. It noted that it has received positive reports from the American businesses in the Philippines and count these reports as an objective test of the progress of IP protection and enforcement in the Philippines. The Philippines also presented its currently launched IP Depot website, a digital platform for homegrown intellectual property rights to promote their IP assets online with the assistance of IPOPHL.
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| Peru Delegate handing over a token to IPOPHL OIC-DG Allan Gepty |
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| Professor Evelyn Taboada showing the IPEG delegates the details of the mango seed used as raw material |
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| L-R: IPOPHIL Director Carmen Peralta, USC ITSO Manager Danilo Largo, Mrs. Go, Magic Melt President and Stockholder of GEMS, Professor Evelyn Taboada, APEC-IPEG Delegate, IPOPHL OIC-DG Allan Gepty, and another APEC-IPEG delegate. |
The APEC-IPEG delegates, as part of the 2-day meeting session, visited one of the notable commercialised inventions from Cebu City. The delegates went for a technical study tour to the Mango Waste Bio Refinery Plant, a joint business venture of the University of San Carlos (USC) and Green Enviro Management Systems Inc. (GEMS) in Cebu City. The inventor of the Mango Peel and wastes refinery, USC Professor Evelyn Taboada, presented the company milestones, their contribution to community livelihood programs, health benefits of their products to consumers, toured the delegates in the Processing plant, and provided food samples of energy bars and other pastries made of mango flour. The delegates were impressed with the new technology and their success story on how a research institution can make a business venture out of its IP assets.
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| Pre-production process at GEMS |
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| Induction of 3rd Batch of IP Youth Advocates during the hosted dinner at CIRCA 1900, Cebu City |
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| Cebu YIPA doing a selfie with IPEG Chair Margain |
With the Philippines’ passion for hospitality, IPOPHL hosted an informal dinner for the delegates at the Circa 1900 in Lahug, Cebu City. They were presented with Filipino and Asian fusion food offerings specially made by CIRCA 1900 Chefs. Circa 1900 is in an almost 120-year-old house where guests can have historical experience in Cebu. It serves food with ingredients fresh from their mini-farm. During the dinner, the 3rd batch of the Young IP Advocates (YIPA) from Cebu were formally introduced through an oath taking ceremony inducted by the IPOPHL OIC-Director General Allan B. Gepty. The newest Young IP Ambassador, Pamela Jude Gonzales from Cebu City National Science High School, selected from a total of 14 Cebu High School students delivered her speech during the dinner was applauded by the IPEG delegates and her peers. A notable part of her speech as quoted, “ However, unlike other assets, IP is intangible. Yet, we were made to understand that intellectual property protection is critical to fostering a country’s economic growth. Without protection of ideas, businesses and individuals would not reap the full benefits of their inventions and would focus less on research and development. Similarly, artists would not be fully compensated for their creation and cultural vitality would suffer as a result. IP is an asset that any person can own, sell, license or even give to another person. Like tangible assets, IP requires protection from theft or unauthorized use.”
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| Circa 1900 Cebu City pastries and desserts |
Another APEC-IPEG meeting activity was the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between two economies, the Philippines and Mexico, to forge anew a partnership in the ASEAN bloc on expanding and strengthening the IP System thru promotions and protection programs. IPOPHL OIC-Director General Allan B. Gepty and Mexico IPO Director General Miguel Angel Margain signed the memorandum on 23 August 2015 as witnessed by the United Mexican States Ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Julio Camarena Villasenor, and the Consul General in Cebu, Mr. Eduardo Gonzales. Also present during the MOU signing were BOT Director Leny B. Raz, and Ms. Mariana Acosta of the Industrial Property of the United Mexican States.
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| PHL-MX MoU signing ceremony |
The APEC-IPEG meeting concluded on 23 August 2015 with a more positive outlook and integrated IP programs toward the implementation of the ASEAN Integration in the near future. For more details about APEC 2015, you may log on to: apec2015.ph or ipophil.gov.ph for IPEG meetings.
