“Record High Growth in Patent and ID Filings in the Philippines Amidst Innovation Boom”
Record High Growth for Patent and ID Filings in the Philippines
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has reported a significant increase in patent and industrial design (ID) registrations in the first half of the year. This growth has been driven by a surge in local innovations, particularly in the fields of utility models (UM) and industrial designs (ID).
Patent Registration on the Rise
According to IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba, applications for patent registration increased by nine percent to 2,134, up from 1,958. Non-residents accounted for 90 percent of these applications, with 1,916 submissions, while residents filed for 218, accounting for the remaining 10 percent. The majority of patent applications were in the fields of pharmaceuticals (24.47%), organic fine chemistry (10.58%), and digital communications (7.89%).
Utility Models and Industrial Designs See Growth
Barba also highlighted the growth in UM filings, a patent-like IP right to protect innovations, which saw a 27.7 percent increase to 835 from 654. A total of 802 UM applications were filed, with 96 percent coming from residents and four percent from non-residents. The top UM fields were food chemistry (55.6%), basic material chemistry (8.9%), and pharmaceuticals (5.6%).
Applications for ID, which protect the aesthetic features of a product, expanded by 17.6 percent to 635 applications from 540. Residents drove this activity with a 53.1 percent share in filings, while non-resident ID filings accounted for 46.9 percent.
Copyright Registrations Soar
Meanwhile, copyright registrations totaled 2,833, climbing by 64.5 percent from 1,722. Barba noted a surge in awareness of copyright protection, with registrations nearing IPOPHL’s 2023 goal of 4,000 registrations – a 7.9 percent increase from 3,706 achieved in 2022. Copyright registrations were mainly driven by books, pamphlets, articles, e-books, audio books, comics, novels and other writings (60.4%), followed by computer programs, software, games and apps (10.6%), and musical compositions (8.8%).
Trademark Filings Decline
However, filings for trademarks declined by eight percent year-on-year to 18,599 from 20,342 applications. Non-resident filers and resident filers accounted for 34.4 percent and 65.6 percent of these filings, respectively. The majority of trademark filings were in pharmaceutical, health and cosmetic products (18.7%), followed by agricultural products and services (17.9%) and scientific research, information and communication technology (13.5%).
Government Policies Support Innovation
Barba noted that the government has been implementing policies to streamline processes, harmonize resources, and support strategic innovation investments. These include the passage of the Innovative Startup Act, Philippine Innovation Act, Ease of Doing Business Act, Foreign Investments Act and CREATE Law. According to the 2023 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER), Manila alone has grown its startup ecosystem to $3.5 billion, rising 85 percent from the $2.1 billion reported in the 2022 GSER.
In conclusion, the first half of the year has seen a significant increase in patent, UM, ID, and copyright registrations in the Philippines, reflecting a growing culture of innovation and creativity in the country. However, the decline in trademark filings suggests a slower movement in new products and services, which Barba attributes to the slowing GDP and high inflation. Despite this, the IPOPHL remains optimistic about the future of intellectual property in the Philippines.