WIPO head visits Phl

MANILA, Philippines – March 21-23, 2012 marks a momentous milestone for the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the intellectual property community in the country as they welcome with pride and jubilance the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director General Dr. Francis Gurry to the Philippines.

Dr. Gurry’s visit is one of the initiatives of the IPOPHL at raising intellectual property (IP) consciousness to the level of our decision-makers across the three branches of government, as well as private stakeholders who drive business and innovation.

This event hopes to help IPOPHL in developing more IP advocates at the horizontal and vertical levels of government and from the business, academic, and scientific communities.

With more advocates driving innovation, the IPOPHL will be able to achieve its goal of a 3D (Democratized, Demystified, Development-orienting) IP System in the Philippines by 2020. A 3D IP System in the country will spur innovation and growth and lead to job creation for more Filipinos.

Dr. Gurry’s presence in the country will allow the academic, scientific, and business communities, and the creative industries to realize that the intellectual property that they generate, use, and own are important and that there is a need for them to continue creating, innovating, utilizing, and protecting their intellectual properties.

It will also send a message to the whole world, especially the Philippines’ major trading partners, of the level of importance the country has placed on intellectual property.

This will boost confidence by investors in the Philippines, i.e., that their patents and trademarks will be adequately protected in the country.

Intellectual property is considered a valuable tool in international trade and has become an important component of trade agreements being signed by the country with various partners.