IP filings in the Philippines increased dramatically

Although it may not indicate the entire strength of a field, the number of IP filings can, to some extent, reflect the people’s awareness of the Intellectual property field and the overall stage of that IP jurisdiction in the world. In 2021, the IP filings number in the Philippines has increased dramatically, showing the strength of one of the top countries on IP in the South East Asia region respectively, and in the Asia region generally.

According to the data synthesized by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), the number of intellectual property (IP) filings from January to December 2021 in this country has grown 11.6% year-on-year (YOY) to a total of 46,496.

The Philippines has recovered fully and even expanded greatly in comparison to the year 2020 as the restriction orders have been lifted and/or lightened, creating favorable conditions for enterprises in this country to thrive and to focus on other aspects such as Intellectual Property. 

IP filings in the Philippines increase 

In the Utility Model (UM) field, the Philippines has achieved a 20% YOY boost to a total of 1,588 filings in comparison to 2020. 

This number is even greater than the average boost before the pandemic, meaning in 2019 which only has a 4% YOY increase. 

Food chemistry is the largest contribution to the sum with 815 Utility Model filings. Following food chemistry was the basic materials chemistry (with 92 filings made); other special machines (77); handling (75); and civil engineering (57). 

In the trademark field, trademark filings increased by 12% to 39,616, with resident filers accounting for the bulk at 24,015 and bouncing back with a 14% YOY growth. Non-resident filings also rebounded by 12%. In total, trademark filings in 2021 also increased dramatically in comparison with 2019 – the year before the pandemic hit the Philippines as well as other countries, a total of 10% annual growth.

The main trademark fields were in pharmaceuticals, health, and cosmetics filings. This is understandable as with the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is in urgent need of health and safety measures. The total of trademark applications in the pharmaceutical field is 11,360. 

Agricultural products and services (10,977) came second, followed by scientific research, information and communication technology (8,946); management, communications, real estate and financial services (7,624); and textiles, clothing, and accessories (5,843).

Not just trademark but patent filings also see a huge surge by 10% to 4,031. The patent applications following the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) method expanded by 12% by 3,344 while resident filers grew at 455 by 9%. 

Pharmaceutical patents have 3,170 filings, followed by organic fine chemistry (1,562); biotechnology, (994); basic materials chemistry, (614); and food chemistry, (443).

The one exceptional case in the increasing trend of IP in the Philippines is in Industrial Design (ID) filings. Specifically, this field has continued its decline although at a slower rate compared to 2020’s 37%. Industrial Design applications fell by -0.2% to 1,261. Resident ID filings decreased -0.3% to 644 while non-resident filings remained the same at 617. 

Expert opinions

Director-General Rowel S. Barba said about the overall increase in the IP filings indicator of the Philippines: “This significant rebound, notably in UM, trademarks, patents and copyright, was made possible by our aggressive IP promotion campaigns to reach more inventors, artists, and entrepreneurs. On top of this is our continuous work to upgrade, streamline and digitalize our services to attract more customers. Our accomplishment in re-stimulating demand for IP creation and protection has motivated us stronger to sustain our momentum in rebuilding the economy with IP.”

*** Other Articles***

– You can check FEE OF TRADEMARK IN Philippines HERE.

– You could visit here to see Procedure of Philippines Trademark Registration.

– You could visit here to check the required documents for filing trademark in Philippines.

– Other questions of trademark in Philippines here.

– You could also check the trademark fees in ASEAN countries here. All with affordable fees.

– You could also check the trademark fees in ASIA here. All with affordable fees. 

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