Applications for intellectual property rights protection increased 21 percent in the first four months to 15,028 from 12,409 in the same period last year, according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.
IPOPHL director-general Rowel Barba said the increase in filings, notably in trademarks and utility models, could indicate “a more positive outlook among businesses and innovation players on the country’s pace of recovery from the pandemic.”
“It could also signify that businesses are rebuilding stronger by integrating IP protection in their innovation and branding strategies,” he said.
Driving the growth were utility model filings which grew 33 percent to 420 from 315, while resident filers accounted for over 95 percent with filings at 401, representing a 38-percent year-on-year growth.
Meanwhile, the top fields of technology were food chemistry with 142 filings; basic materials chemistry with 26; other special machines, 25; handling , 15; and IT methods for management, 11.
This was followed by trademark applications which rose 26 percent to 13,041 from 10,354 a year ago. Residents, which contributed the bulk to trademark filings, boosted the overall performance as it surged 48 percent to 8,089.
The top industries for trademark filings were pharmaceuticals, health and cosmetics with 3,939 filings; agricultural products and services, 3,546; scientific research, information and communication technology, 2,848; management, communications, real estate and financial services, 2,419; and textiles, clothing and accessories, 1,914.
Meanwhile, patent filings declined 6 percent to 1,235 from 1,320. Non-resident filings contributed most to the drop with a 31 percent, bringing the total to 71. On the other hand, resident filings went up by 15 percent to 129.
Most patents during the period were filed in the fields of pharmaceuticals, 543; organic fine chemistry, 311; biotechnology, 154; basic materials chemistry, 115; and food chemistry, 63.
For industrial designs, filings dropped 21 percent to 332 from 420. This was due to applications both by residents and non-residents falling 5 percent and 34 percent, respectively.
The top fields of technology for industrial design fillings were in furnishing, 16; articles of adornment, 8; other machines, 7; fluid distribution equipment, sanitary, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment, solid fuel, 6; other household goods, 6; and packages and containers for the transport or handling of goods, 6.
Meanwhile, copyright deposits grew 91 percent to 444 from 233.
Data showed that in 2020, filings for the first time went down across all types of IP, with some logging record-lows, as several business activities were subdued by COVID-19 and the period of extreme uncertainty that followed.
The agency is optimistic that IP filings in 2021 would bounce back to pre-COVID-19 levels.