IPOPHL opens satellite office in Zamboanga

MANILA, Philippines — The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has opened a satellite office (SO) in Zamboanga as part of its expansion plan to reach more businesses and individuals intending to register their IP.

In a statement, IPOPHL said the new SO is the agency’s fourth in Mindanao and 13th in the country.

The SO will serve stakeholders and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the Zamboanga peninsula (Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay), Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu, as well as neighboring areas in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“In past years, we’ve seen MSMEs increasingly becoming responsive to our call to protect their trademarks, and gain a competitive edge in business. Gradually, they’ve been recognizing the significance and value trademark brings them in the cutthroat environment in the marketplace,”  IPOPHL director general Josephine Santiago said.

She said the increasing awareness of businesses on the gains of having a trademark has resulted in growth in IP filings in SOs.

“IPSO filings have been on a growth path since 2013. With our continued expansion in the farthest areas of the Philippines, we expect this trajectory to remain on an uptrend,” she added.

Data from the IPOPHL’s IP field operations unit showed the agency had an average annual growth of 14 percent in IP filings outside of Metro Manila from 2013 to 2017.

Trademark applications consistently accounted for the bulk of filings during the period.

Last year, it took up 60 percent of all IP filings from the satellite offices, boosted by IPOPHL’s Juana Make a Mark program.

Through the Juana Make a Mark program, the first 1,000 eligible MSMEs would be able to register their trademarks without having to pay trademark application fees.

The program expired last Feb.14 but has been extended until February next year.

Following the renewal of the program, IPOPHL expects trademarks to lead the growth of IP filings, and more MSMEs to benefit from the incentive program.