Intellectual property filings up 2.5 percent in 2023

MANILA, Philippines — Intellectual property (IP) filings in the country inched up by 2.5 percent in 2023 amid increased awareness on the importance of IP, according to the IP Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).

In a statement yesterday, the IPOPHL said applications of trademarks, patents, utility models (UM) and industrial designs (ID) reached 49,832 in 2023 from 48,600 in 2022.

IPOPHL director general Rowel Barba attributed the higher filings to the agency’s aggressive IP awareness and capacity-building activities and campaign undertaken at universities and colleges to create and protect their IPs.

“We are ecstatic that our activities for building up IP management and protection capacities and intensifying awareness continue to gather more people. And as we have seen how IP topics in the past year spread far and wide in the public discourse and the online sphere, the importance of creating an IP-conscious Philippines through education and awareness programs cannot be stressed enough,” Barba said.

Trademark applications increased by 1.2 percent to 41,953 from 41,452.

Pharmaceuticals, health and cosmetics accounted for the bulk of trademark applications with a 19.1 percent share, followed by agricultural products and services with 17.4 percent; scientific research, information and communication technology with 13.8 percent; management, communications, real estate and financial services with 11.3 percent; as well as textiles in clothing and accessories with 10.3 percent.

Applications for a patent grant grew by 2.9 percent to 4,544 in 2023 from 4,418 in 2022, with the biggest share or 24.8 percent coming from the pharmaceuticals industry.

UM filings posted a 24 percent growth to 1,847 applications in 2023 from 1,489 in 2022.

Bulk or 55.9 percent of UM filings last year were on food chemistry, followed by basic materials chemistry with 6.6 percent, organic fine chemistry with 5.4 percent, pharmaceuticals with 3.9 percent and other special machines with 3.5 percent.

Likewise, ID applications climbed by 19.9 percent to 1,488 from 1,241, with transport accounting for the highest share in filings.

Barba said the IP applications also got a boost from the enhanced innovation and technology support program, which capacitates state universities and colleges and higher education institutions to readily extend patent service support to researchers, inventors and innovators in their campuses.

According to the IPOPHIL, filings from the Innovation and Technology Support Offices jumped by 51 percent year-on-year to 1,922 in 2023.

As IPOPHL continues to expand IP awareness activities and sets up more IP satellite offices and help desks outside Metro Manila, Barba hopes to see sustained momentum in applications this year.

“We hope to see more areas realize the importance of IP assets not just in pushing their ranks in the cities and municipalities competitiveness index but also in fueling their residents’ creativity and innovativeness which their very own communities could benefit from,” Barba said.