IPOPHL L.E.A.P. I.P. Roadshow Kicks Off in Makati and Manila Government Offices

Learn.. be Empowered.. Adopt.. and Profit from Intellectual Property (L.E.A.P. I.P.) is the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines’ (IPOPHL) sustainable program to provide information and creating awareness about the benefits and advantages of owning and protecting an invention Patent, a brand/Trademark, or an original literary work Copyright.

The IPOPHL recently kicked off its first leg of the L.E.A.P. I.P. Roadshow for the Local Government Units (LGU), benefitting more than a hundred government employees from the Makati and Manila City Offices for knowledge advancement about Intellectual Property Rights. IPOPHL collaborated with the cities’ Office of the Mayors, Business Permits and Licensing offices (BPLO) together with the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) Officials to make the activity possible last 21-22 November 2016.  The L.E.A.P.I.P. for LGU Roadshow is aimed to assist the employees on the implementation of their IP Ordinance through information dissemination, protection, and enforcement. IPOPHL Deputy Director General Allan B. Gepty gave the opening remarks and with selected IPOPHL Speakers, provided the participants with insights and overview of the IP System in the Philippines, its economic contribution, and the major role of the LGUs in the promotion, protection, and enforcement of IP rights.

The Makati City Office of the Mayor Senior Advisor Atty. Violeta Somera-Seva, BPLO Head Atty. Mirabert Q. Pagente, and SP City Secretary Atty. Dindo R. Cervantes enjoined the Makati City employees for a whole day IP seminar.  On the other hand, Manila City Councilor Joel M. Par and Licensing Office Chief John Sangalang made the whole day seminar actively participated by the License Examiners as well as the Business Permit Front liners under the directorship of Atty. Fortune O. Mayuga. 

The IPOPHL is scheduled to hold its next legs of the roadshow in other LGUs within Metro Manila before the yearend while other regions nationwide will follow suit in 2018.  For more information about other L.E.A.P. I.P. seminars, visit www.ipophil.gov.ph.

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IPOPHL Launches New Electronic Filing System

IPOPHL Launches New Electronic Filing System

       

Stakeholders tried out filing online, standing at back portion

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) launched its new electronic filing system known as the IPOPHL TM eFile as part of the World IP Day Celebrations, which started on 23 April, with the Celebration of the World Book and Copyright Day. 

Director Leny B. Raz

The IPOPHL eTMfile allows the online filing of new trademark applications 24/7 and is linked to three different payment channels. With IPOPHL eTMfile, applicants and IP agents need not go to the IPOPHL to file trademark applications.   

IPOPHL eTMfile is one of the new initiatives of Director General Josephine Rima-Santiago, who assumed the top IPOPHL post less than six months ago, to modernize the eServices for use by IPOPHL stakeholders. 

Director General Josephine R. Santiago

According to Director General Santiago, “the IPOPHL began enhancing its IT systems with the deployment of the Industrial Property Automation System (IPAS) as the new back office system for patents and trademarks in 2012.  Now, we are focusing on tools that will modernize electronic transactions with the IPOPHL, starting with the new IPOPHL eTMfile.”

The IPOPHL eTMfile is linked to two other tools—ASEAN TMclass, which makes the classification of goods and services much easier, and National IPOPHL TMview, allowing the generation of preliminary search reports that applicants may use as reference prior to filing.  IPOPHL eTMfile also has another new feature, which makes possible the submission of documents, such as the special power of attorney, request for priority examination, and declaration of actual use, together with the online application. 

IPOPHL eTMfile is a system developed in collaboration with EU-ASEAN Project on IP Rights (ECAP III Phase II), a project being administered by the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

As lead for both information technology and trademarks under the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC), the IPOPHL has been collaborating closely with the ECAP III Project for the adaptation of IT tools that could be used not only by the Philippines, but also by other ASEAN IP Offices. 

Director General Santiago said further, “the IPOPHL eTMfile is the first of two eServices tools that we are deploying this semester.  Next in the pipeline is the IPOPHL eDOCfile, an advanced electronic filing system for practically all types of trademark documents, including responses, powers of attorney, various types of declarations, assignments, and enables both the IPOPHL and the applicant to digitally sign documents submitted to the Office.”The prototype of the IPOPHL eDOCfile was also presented to stakeholders after the eTMfile launch.

The IPOPHL is the first ASEAN Office to deploy eTMfile and is also expected to be the first to go on production with the eDOCfile in June.

The IPOPHL eTMfile is accessible to all trademark stakeholders beginning today. Log on to: http://121.58.254.39:8080/sp-ui-tmefiling/wizard.htm?execution=e1s1

words:  IPOPHL

Philippine Inventors to Benefit from WIPO's "Inventor Assistance Program" thru IPOPHL

WIPO DDG John Sandage

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) launched its 3^rd Inventor Assistance Program (IAP) in the Philippines as part of their globalization strategies on IP collaborations following the success of Colombia and Morocco on their IAP accession.  Pioneering companies who sponsored the IAP are Novartis, IFIA, and QUALCOMM, benefitting them as well with global patent prosecution and protection. WIPO Deputy Director General for Patents and Technology Sector, Mr. John Sandage, delivered his speech on behalf of WIPO, emphasized the importance of the 3^rd IAP Pilot launch in the Philippines as a developing country with a vibrant local innovations scenario that can be seen by a high number of Innovation and Technology Support Centers nationwide. Mr. Sandage assured that WIPO would continue collaboration with Philippine authorities and the IPOPHL in order to make the IP successful and to help local inventors get Patents.

Mr. Marco Aleman, WIPO Director for Patent Law Division

The launching in the Philippines of the Inventor Assistance Program (IAP) is the culminating event during the National Seminar on Patents and Innovation last 01 March 2016. According to Mr. Marco Aleman, WIPO Acting Director for Patent Law Division, the main objective of the IAP is to spur patenting of inventions by incentivizing local inventors by partnering them with International IP Lawyers and experts for free assistance throughout the patent process/prosecution. IAP as a whole will benefit the inventors, the society in general, Patent Offices, and Patent Attorneys. During the event, various topics related to IAP were presented to more than 300 attendees from the academe, industry associations, government offices, and inventors. 

Topic discussions focused on the Patent System as a Tool for Promoting Innovation as well as the latest Trends and Figures on Patent Filings/Grants on Innovation were presented by Mr. Aleman.  A briefer on the current situation of Innovation in the Philippines and IPOPHL’s support to Innovators were discussed by Atty. Allan B. Gepty, IPOPHL Deputy Director General  for Advocacy, Policy and International Relations.

IAP benefit testimonials from one of the large corporations such as Mr. Corey Salsberg, Novartis International AG Switzerland Head for International IP Policy, attested in giving them more inspiration in providing better medicines, while the role of the Patent Attorney was substantiated by Mr. Alvaro Correa, Partner of Baker‐McKenzie Colombia and is a Member of the IAP Steering Committee.  

ITSOs Representatives from USC and UP with Director Carmen Paralta

Experiences from Philippine Universities and Research Centers on Benefits from Patents were presented by Dr. Danilo Largo, Director of Research and ITSO Manager University of San Carlos and Mr.  Ace Acosta, Senior Technology Transfer Officer, University Research Associate  and ITSO Manager, of the University of the Philippines.  Both universities were able to corroborate highly commercialized inventions through technology transfer and joint venture business partnerships between schools and private entities.  With the launching of the IAP, the Innovation and Technology Support Offices (ITSOs) nationwide will make the program an additional incentive to boost IP commercialization.  The Technology and Innovation Support Centers  (TISC), with a local counterpart ITSO, as a global WIPO project was comprehensively discussed by Mr. Andrew Czajkowski, Head, WIPO Innovation and Technology Support Section - Global Infrastructure Sector,  stressing the value of the Patent Information to develop new solutions to technical challenges faced in the country, or adapt existing technologies to suit local conditions.

The Innovation and Technology sectors in the Philippines will expect more global support in the coming years from WIPO and other IP Office partners all over the world.

For more Information on Inventor Assistance Program, visit www.wipo.org