PH Underscores Resilience in Medical Innovation and Growth in Intellectual Trademark Filings at the 63rd General Assemblies in Geneva
(First photo, upper-left) Philippine Permanent Representative Evan P. Garcia delivering the Philippine National Statement at the 63rd General Assemblies; (second photo, upper-right) PR Garcia sharing a light moment with WIPO Director General Darren Tang and Ambassador Tatiana Molcean, 63rd Assemblies President; (third photo) The Philippine delegation was composed of (from leftg to right) Minister Felipe Carino III, Atty. Kat Rivera, Atty. Jesus Antonio Z. Ros, Director General Rowel S. Barba (co-head of delegation), Ambassador Garcia, and Atty. Lolibeth R. Medrano. (Geneva PM photos)
GENEVA, 01 August 2022 – Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Evan P. Garcia and Director General Rowel S. Barba, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), led the Philippine delegation which participated in the series of meetings and events at the 63rd General Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) from 14 to 22 July 2022.
Permanent Representative Garcia delivered the Philippine National Statement which recognized the leadership of WIPO under Director General Darren Tang and noted the shared optimism and resilience of the international community to rise above the challenges of the pandemic. He recalled that the Philippines made critical interventions in support of stakeholders that resulted in growth in trademark and patent filings from January to June this year, as compared to the same period last year.
He also shared that this year marks the 25th year of the enactment of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines which created the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). To commemorate the milestone, the PH held a series of events that promoted intellectual property (IP) in the country, such as the recognition of deserving Filipino creators and inventors in the Gawad Yamang Isip awards; the launching of the Juana Invent and Juana Design Programs for inventors and designers to extend high-impact assistance to women-led small/medium enterprises; the launch of the Youth Inventors, Entrepreneurs and Designers Program to increase youth awareness and participation in IP towards building a national innovation culture; and the holding of the Grand Intellectual Property Forum during the National IP Month.
He added that the Philippines wishes to increase its presence in the international intellectual property system with PH accession to the Hague Agreement on the International Registration of Industrial Designs by 2023.
During the 63rd Assemblies, the Philippine delegation supported the decision convening two Diplomatic Conferences in 2023-2024 on two proposed treaties, namely, for the protection of Designs and for the protection of Traditional Knowledge associated with Genetic Resources. The member-parties are expected to formally negotiate the two proposed treaties which will benefit small-medium enterprises and designers in low/ medium income countries, as well as foster sustainable development in indigenous communities.
The Philippines membership in WIPO since 2001 has given cross-border and international intellectual property protection and promoted of innovation among Filipino creators and inventors, artists, broadcasters, and performers across a slew of media platforms. Most recently, the PH ratified and acceded to the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Broadcasting in 2021 and the Madrid Protocol (2012) which further enhanced the country’s intellectual property programs.
In the WIPO Global Innovation Index (GII), the benchmark for the capacity and success of a country’s innovation ecosystem and creative sector, the PH was ranked no. 50 in 2020 and no. 51 in 2021, out of 193 WIPO member-economies which earned it innovation achiever status in its category. END
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