Korean intellectual property experts tapped to study, aid PH’s existing systems

MANILA, Philippines — A team of intellectual property (IP) authorities from South Korea has been tapped to identify ways to improve the country’s IP systems, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said on Wednesday.

IPOPHL, in a statement sent to reporters, said they have partnered with the Korean Institute of Patent Information (KIPI), headquartered in Seoul, to take an in-depth study of the Philippines’ existing systems.

This is about IPOPHL’s bid to automate several of its existing services.

KIPI’s International Cooperation Team (KIPI-ICT) first visited IPOPHL’s office in Taguig last June 20 to June 23 to familiarize themselves with the system and spot possible problems.  A study would then produce a series of medium-term to long-term recommendations from Korean experts.

“We are happy to see that our efforts to make our services more accessible are bringing international interest into our IP infrastructure and processes,” IPOPHL director general Rowel Barba said.

“This is an opportunity for IPOPHL to see our current system from a broader strategic perspective and empower our bureaus to improve the ease of doing business,” he added.

According to IPOPHL, the collaboration with KIPI will conclude in November 2022 and may trigger more partnerships with the Korean government regarding the issue of intellectual property rights.

KIPI-ICT Project Manager Soon Sup Youn explained that they are doing knowledge-sharing, providing several countries tips on how they can strengthen IP systems.

IPOPHL said that as of now, the group has done consultations in over 21 countries since 2013 — the most notable of which were meetings with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2016 to 2019 and Paraguay from 2019 to 2021 which resulted in improvements in the delivery of their respective IP services.

“The consulting projects are mainly knowledge-sharing. We visit different IP offices to share our experiences, while also getting the proponent countries’ know-how on their own IP systems,” Youn said.

“We remain committed to creating a close and consistent cooperation during the duration of our consultation and implementation periods, which is why we have seen the impressive success of both countries in adapting our IP systems.  We also look into developing IP automation projects and their alignment with the country’s current system,” he added.

Among the some existing KIPI solutions being explored for the Philippine setting is the creation of a centralized platform for searching all types of IP, and an IP data distribution platform that could allow seamless data sharing between IPOPHL and its local and international partners.

This partnership, Barba said, fits well with the IPOPHL’s six-point BRIGHT Agenda, which stands for the following:

• Building Collaboration and Partnerships
• Raising the Ante for Customer Service
• Integrate IP Awareness and Education into Society
• Go back to Basics
• Highlight Human Capital
• Transform IPOPHL Into a Fully Digitalized Agency

“Our BRIGHT Agenda highlights how integral partnership-building is in future-proofing the agency’s services, especially as we aim to continue helping stakeholders to maximize the IP system for their recovery from the pandemic,” Barba noted.

After the COVID-19 pandemic brought down filings for IP and patents, IPOPHL searched for a way to allow innovators and inventors to seek patents and other documents virtually.

In August 2021, the office reported that because of their digitalization efforts, filing for IP protection increased by 20 percent for the first half of the said year, even as parts of the country were still under stricter quarantine protocols due to the pandemic. With reports from Andy Hoo, INQUIRER.net trainee