Cognizant of the impact of climate change on the global and local scenes, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) which has been at the forefront of encouraging innovation and developing business solutions among Filipinos recently launched its Green Technology Incentive (GreenTech) Program.

The GreenTech introduced by IPOPHL aims to encourage individuals or groups to develop long-term solutions that will mitigate the impact of climate change in the country and at the same time conserve our natural resources.

The incentive of waiving certain application fees for technology-related intellectual property (IP) to those applicants who have developed transformative and long-term solutions that are aligned with the global ambition and action in the locality.

On November 5, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines Bureau of Patents (BOP) held a ceremonial launch of the green program which now accepts applications for patents, utility models (UMs) or industrial designs (IDs).

“Today, as we launch our Green Technology Incentive or GreenTech Program, IPOPHL hopes to make a contribution to encourage an innovation climate that doesn’t just consider the return of investments but also the costs of what we do to our environment and natural resources, especially when they cost jobs, incomes, homes and lives,” said IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba. 

Under the program, applicants can save up to ₱6,600 in fees and have their applications prioritized, possibly significantly reducing the time it would take to obtain a grant or registration. The technology applied for protection must fall under the following classification:

1. Alternative Energy Production
2. Solar Energy
3. Sustainable Transportation
4. Energy Conservation
5. Waste Management
6. Sustainable Agriculture/Forestry
7. Administrative, Regulatory or Design Aspects
8. Nuclear Power Generation

The incentive will be granted to up to 30 patents, 60 UMs and 60 IDs. 

IPOPHL, through examiners of the BOO, will evaluate and check for eligibility the submitted documents in the Formality Examination Report.

The BOP clarified that the GreenTech Program does not automatically confer a Certificate of Grant or Registration. The qualified applications will still undergo the regular registration or grant process but may succeed in benefiting from IPOPHL’s expedited application process if applications do not receive adverse information that will require further examination and inquiry on the part of BOP’s examiners.

Deputy Director General Ann Claire C. Cabochan urged inventors and innovators to leverage the GreenTech Program.

“We call on all inventive Filipinos with green technologies to take advantage of the GreenTech Program and gain IP protection at a lesser cost and, possibly, much faster approval than the regular track,” Cabochan added. 

BOP Director Ann N. Edillon expressed confidence in the future contributions of Filipinos in creating green inventions and innovations that make an impact. 

“IPOPHL is confident that it is Filipino ingenuity, ideas and innovation that will ensure our nation will stand on steady ground amidst the challenges and uncertainty brought about by climate change,” Edillon added.

The program will run until November 1, 2025 or until slots for applications have been filled in.

The workshop, held from October 22 – 24, 2024, offered introductory and advanced lessons on valuation, aiming to deepen technology managers and business’ understanding of the various valuation methods and principles when applying them to real-world scenarios. Interactive discussions among speakers and participants likewise served as simulation exercises that put participants at the center of making business decisions based on their valuation of IP assets. 

“Your role in determining the value of innovations is pivotal in bridging the gap between IP and the market. Accurate and informed valuation ensures that IP creators, inventors, and businesses alike can reap the full rewards of their intellectual efforts. This is a responsibility that has a far-reaching impact on innovation, industry growth, and even national economic growth,” IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said at the event.

The IPOPHL chief also expressed gratitude to WIPO for selecting the Philippines as the host for its seminar and to the ASEAN Secretariat and Japan IP Office for their continued support. 

As the economic growth of intangible assets surpassed that of tangible goods over the decades, Finance and Valuation Expert at WIPO’s IP Commercialization Section Michael Kos said the use of IP and intangibles for financing is still in its infancy in most parts of the world. 

“Despite its growing influence and importance, the value of intangible assets remains invisible in the world of finance,” Kos said while highlighting the importance of valuation in informing decisions on mergers and acquisition, accounting, dispute resolution and licensing.

Based on a WIPO survey conducted in 2023 with almost 400 practitioners, financial experts, technology managers and enterprises from 10 ASEAN member-states, it was identified that the biggest challenge to IP Valuation is arriving at “tangible, consistent and trusted” valuation methods, according to Kos.

As a solution, Kos offered WIPO’s IP Toolkit for ASEAN States, which IPOPHL contributed to. The toolkit could serve as a reference point, containing comprehensive guidance on IP valuation processes, useful references and case studies of best valuation practices in the ASEAN region. 

The event is IPOPHL’s latest effort to build capacities of stakeholders on IP valuation. 

Nationwide, IPOPHL has been elevating the skills of its Innovation and Technology Support Offices (ITSO) in assessing the value of their institutions’ technologies. In the Asia-Pacific Region, IPOPHL has produced two publications, namely “The Best Practices on Intellectual Property Valuation and FInancing in APEC” and “The Intellectual Property Valuation Manual: A Preliminary Guide.” IPOPHL also offers basic and advanced valuation classes. 

For her part, Deputy Director General Ann Claire C. Cabochan reminded the participants of the role they now play in the innovation ecosystem.

“The knowledge you have gained here today is not only important for protecting and assessing IP but is also key to ensuring that our innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs can fully benefit from their creations,” Cabochan said.

“IP valuation is more than a technical process. It is a bridge that connects innovation with opportunity, it ensures that our inventors and creators’  hardwork and creativity are properly recognized and rewarded, allowing them to take their innovations to market with confidence,” she added.

The awards were conferred last August 23 as part of the annual Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) awarding ceremony led by IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba, Deputy Director General Ann Claire C. Cabochan, Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau (DITTB) Director Ralph Jarvis H. Alindogan and DITTB Assistant Director Chamlette D. Garcia. 

The Special Awards on IP Rights were divided into categories, namely Highly Urbanized Cities, Component Cities, 1st to 2nd Municipalities, 3rd to 4th Municipalities and 5th to 6th Municipalities. 

Under the Highly Urbanized Cities category, the top three reigning cities were unchanged. Quezon City continued to top the list with IP filings and approved registrations reaching 8,864. The City of Manila followed with 4,738 while Makati City came in third with 4,493.

There was also no change of hands in the Component City category as Antipolo, Rizal; Meycauayan, Bulacan; and Bacoor, Cavite dominated with 486, 292 and 260 filings and registrations, respectively. 

For municipalities, below are the winners and their total applications and approved registrations:

1st to 2nd Municipalities

• 1st: Cainta, Rizal (380) 
• 2nd: Argao, Cebu (305)
• 3rd: Binalonan, Pangasinan (279)

3rd to 4th Municipalities

• 1st: Lamut, Ifugao (89)
• 2nd: Pontevedra, Capiz (75)
• 3rd: Palo, Leyte (70)

5th to 6th Municipalities

• 1st: Pakil, Laguna (32)
• 2nd: San Juan, Southern Leyte (21) and Biliran, Biliran (21)

IPOPHL’s Barba expressed hopes that the Special Awards for Intellectual Property Rights will highlight how intellectual property (or IP) can help in fostering innovation and creativity in our cities and municipalities. 

“The protection of IP rights not only ensures that individual Filipinos will benefit from their creativity and innovation, but also their communities,” he said.

“That is why the inclusion of IP and innovation in the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (or CMCI) underlines the importance of local governments in harnessing the creative capital of their citizens to improve or sustain productivity,” Barba added. 

The CMCI Awards recognizes cities and municipalities with a high level of competitiveness. This is assessed based on their Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, Resiliency and Innovation. 

Under the Innovation Pillar, IP application and registration stands as one of the indicators given the role of the IP system in incentivizing the creation and development of new innovative products, services or processes.

“IPOPHL looks forward to a stronger partnership with PCCI so that we empower our MSMEs not only to thrive but achieve success in the global arena. As such, we look forward to PCCI’s support in assisting MSMEs to register to our JFTW Program which encourages our entrepreneurs to protect their trademarks abroad,” IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said at the event.

Under the MOA, the country’s largest business organization and its members may sponsor at least the basic fee of an applicant’s international application under the Madrid Protocol through the JFTW program. The Madrid Protocol is the international route for trademark applications and the basic fee could cost at least CHF 625 depending on the number of goods selected for a product.

The move is part of IPOPHL’s broader goal to make more businesses competitive globally through their IPs. Earlier this year, IPOPHL also partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) to provide broader support to exporters in protecting their IP assets in the international market.

For its part, IPOPHL will assist the PCCI’s sponsored applicants under the JFTW Program by capacitating them on branding and trademark protection, waiving the handling fee for the Madrid international application and providing advisory assistance until their registrations are approved.

Under the MOA, the PCCI also commits to bring more women entrepreneurs and women-led MSMEs to own their brands through the Juana Make Mark Program, which waives filing fees to eligible MSMEs.

Making IP more felt in the grassroots

The PCCI will also promote IP registration and the optimal use of the IP system; support enforcement initiatives to combat piracy and counterfeiting; and involve IPOPHL in programs and activities that promote IP as valuable business tools.

According to PCCI Executive Vice President Ferdinand Ferrer, stressing the importance of IP in various communities is crucial in making more competitive MSMEs.

“Whenever you travel across the country, you can really see that there is something different with these MSMEs, that there is really that asset of creativity and branding. Unfortunately, there are challenges in explaining why they have to protect their brands, enforce their IP rights and respect the rights of others. So this MOA is a very welcome development to our longstanding partnership with IPOPHL,” Ferrer said.

Commercializing innovations

Both parties will also continue conducting the Alfredo M. Yao (AMY) IP Awards, an annual event jointly conducted by IPOPHL and PCCI since 2009. The program aims to recognize patented and patentable technologies that help the country realize economic development.

Deputy Director General Ann Claire C. Cabochan, who was one of the judges in last year’s AMY IP Awards, commended the PCCI for its continued work to bring more innovations to the market.

“We admire the PCCI for really striving to help our local innovators commercialize their IP and technologies. This is a big step that we have to take to highlight the brilliance of our Filipino innovators,” Cabochan added.

PCCI’s Intellectual Property Committee Chair Anthony Bengzon shared that “the group will continue working closely with IPOPHL to make innovations filed at the Office turn into market realities that can make an impact and inspire others to follow suit.”

The IP Help Desk mainly aims to increase awareness on how creators, inventors and entrepreneurs can successfully use IPOPHL’s wide array of services — from IP search tools and registration to enforcement and mediation.

By providing wider access to such services, the IP Help Desk “plays a crucial role in integrating Pangasinenses into the creative ecosystem,” according to Deputy Director General (DDG) Ann Claire C. Cabochan who described the province as “truly well-positioned to be a major hub of Philippine creatives.”

“Pangasinan is a place where culture, creativity and tourism converge to create unique and unforgettable experiences for residents and visitors alike,” Cabochan said.

Director General Rowel S. Barba said that the creative vibrancy of Pangasinan is even poised to be recognized globally with Cong. Christopher “Toff” V.P de Venecia, Pangasinan’s fourth district representative, spearheading various initiatives to promote the province’s art scene. 

“An avid advocate of the creative sector and a creative himself, Cong. Toff is a good partner of IPOPHL, very supportive of our thrust to protect the rights of Filipino artists and crack down on piracy,” said Barba, who also hails from Dagupan City.

Pangasinan ranks 21st out of 80 under the Most Competitive Province category of the 2022 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) which measures IP filings under the innovation pillar. 

For trademarks alone, Pangasinan saw 2022 filings  jump by 80% from 2021 applications, signifying an influx of new products and services that could help the province spring back from the downturn brought by the pandemic.

Cabochan identified the Bonuan or Dagupan Bangus as one of over 30 goods IPOPHL initially identified as potential geographical indications (GI). A GI is a sign that identifies products whose qualities and reputation are due to their geographic origins. 

“Your community of Bonuan Bangus producers and traders will greatly benefit from registering as a GI with IPOPHL,” Cabochan told Pangasinenses, citing the success of the Champagne of France, the Parmigiano Reggiano of Italy and the Kampot Pepper of Cambodia in the global culinary world through the use of the GI scheme. 

“Our IP Help Desk is just the start of IPOPHL’s support for Pangasinan. We look forward to providing expanded IP support in the future and see your province grow in creating, protecting and enforcing your highly valuable IP rights,” Barba added.

The Pangasinan IP Help Desk is the third in the Ilocos Region along with those in the DTI-La Union and DOST-La Union. Overall, it is the 15th IP Help Desk that IPOPHL has opened to date.
The Pangasinan unit is open on the third Tuesday and Wednesday of the month at 8:00AM – 5:00PM. It receives inquiries at its office at the 2nd floor, Star Bldg., Arellano St., Dagupan City, as well as through phone at 09667338194 and email at ipso-vigan@ipophil.gov.ph.