Applications for intellectual property registration at the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines increased 4.4 percent year-on-year in the first nine months.
“The latest figures show impressive recovery in IP filings as we are on track to exceeding the pre-pandemic volume. This is largely driven by increased economic activities as several areas where quarantine restrictions have de-escalated to their laxest yet,” said IPOPHL director-general Rowel Barba.
Data showed that filings for trademarks, patents, utility models and industrial designs went up 3.1 percent in the nine-month period to 36,709 from 35,172 in the same period in 2021.
Pushing the growth were trademark filings which grew 5.6 percent to 31,665, with residents’ filings accounting for 62 percent of the total.
Patent filings climbed 2.3 percent to 3,116, with non-residents contributing 90 percent or 2,807.
Industrial designs, which protect the unique appearance of a product, grew 1 percent to 923. The biggest boost came from non-residents at a 56-percent share of the total 516 filings.
Utility models, which provide patent-like protection at a shorter duration and with a less rigorous application process, dropped 17.2 percent to 1,005, with residents making up 96 percent or 960.
“As IPOPHL also ensured strong presence in various channels to help more Filipinos protect their IP, we are confident in maintaining our recovery momentum throughout the rest of 2022,” Barba said.
Registrations for copyright jumped 69.1 percent to 2,602, driven by books, pamphlets, articles, e-books, audio books, comics, novels and other writings, with a combined 29-percent share. This was followed by other literary, scholarly, scientific and artistic works at 27.8 percent; and drawings, paintings, architectural works, sculpture, engraving, prints, lithography or other works of art, models or designs for works of art that accounted for 9.3 percent.
The bulk of trademark filings were in pharmaceuticals, health, cosmetics with a 19-percent share; followed by agricultural products and services, 16.8 percent; and scientific research, information and communication technology, 14.5 percent.
Patent filings were concentrated on pharmaceuticals with a share of 29.3 percent; organic fine chemistry with 11.6 percent; and biotechnology, 8.6 percent.