The Philippines was elected chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Intellectual Property Rights Experts Group, a new role seen to expand the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines’ reach in championing rules, dialogs and best practices.
“We are grateful for the trust given to us by the APEC member economies. Their confidence in IPOPHL derives from the efforts we have been delivering and outcomes we have been achieving in the Philippines and in the ASEAN as chair of the ASEAN Working Group on IP Cooperation. IPOPHL, on behalf of the Philippines, will strive to pursue a facilitative and inclusive IP landscape in the Asia-Pacific region,” said IPOPHL director general Rowel Barba.
Barba said that during the nomination for the next IPEG head following the chairmanship of the Republic of Korea, the Philippines was approached by several APEC member economies encouraging IPOPHL to vie for the IPEG chairmanship in view of its remarkable chairmanship at the AWGIPC and the good work the Philippines is doing in the region.
Under Barba’s chairmanship of the AWGIPC, the implementation of the ASEAN IP Rights Action Plan 2016-2025 accelerated.
Deliverables completed increased from 37.5 percent in March 2021 to 72 percent as of December 2022.
Among the deliverables that the Philippines helped complete or start during Barba’s term is the establishment of the ASEAN IP Academy; the study of best practices on IP valuation; the feasibility studies on a unitary patent system in ASEAN; and the harmonization of formality requirements for industrial design applications.
As IPEG chair, IPOPHL will focus on advancing meaningful discussions toward workable outcomes in IP financing; IP in the digital economy and interconnectivity; IP for sustainable and inclusive growth; and other cross-cutting issues in IP.
“We hope to stir conversations that highlight exciting opportunities in a borderless knowledge-driven world and the challenges IP rights holders in the APEC region face with respect to emerging global trends and needs. Ultimately, we hope IPEG can put forward activities and policy insights that are relevant to member economies based on their respective economic development and needs,” Barba said.