MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has been elected as the chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Intellectual Property Rights Experts Group (APEC-IPEG) for 2023 to 2024, according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
In a statement yesterday, the IPOPHL said the new role is seen to expand its reach in championing rules, dialogues and best practices that enable the intellectual property (IP) system to be a vehicle for accelerated innovation and creativity.
“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 (AWGIPC),” IPOPHL director general Rowel Barba said.
“IPOPHL, on behalf of the Philippines, will strive to pursue a facilitative and inclusive IP landscape in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
Barba revealed that during the nomination for the next IPEG head following the chairmanship of the Republic of Korea (ROK) from 2021 to 2022, the Philippines has been approached by several APEC member economies encouraging IPOPHL to vie for the IPEG chairmanship in view of its remarkable chairmanship at the AWGIPC, as well as 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,” the IPOPHL said.
It added that among the deliverables that the Philippines helped complete or start during Barba’s term are the establishment of the ASEAN IP Academy; the study of best practices on IP valuation; and the feasibility studies on a unitary patent system in ASEAN and the harmonization of formality requirements for industrial design applications.
This time, as IPEG chair, the IPOPHL said it would 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,“ Barba said.
“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,” it said.
Barba expressed optimism that IPEG’s activities under IPOPHL’s term would contribute to the goals set by the Putrajaya Vision 2040 (PV2040).
PV2040 is APEC’s new blueprint to achieve an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040 through the pursuit of three economic drivers: trade and investment; innovation and digitalization; and a strong, balanced, secure, sustainable and inclusive growth.
Barba also intends to continue the stakeholder engagement initiated by ROK and strengthen cooperation with other fora such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Trade Organization (WTO) and the ASEAN.
“IP-related issues to be raised by private stakeholders will be heard and addressed by the group. As such, key stakeholders and even MSMEs, independent innovators and creators are enjoined to contribute to the table. The wealth of their experience in various markets and environments can help us design a comprehensive IP protection framework that could help everyone cope with the cutting-edge technologies and other developments of our time,” Barba said.
“With now a wider-reach, IPOPHL hopes to repeat its ongoing success in the Philippines and the ASEAN by strengthening the cooperative spirit in the APEC region,” he said.
The APEC-IPEG was formed in 1996, then called the IP Rights Get-Together of the Committee on Trade and Investment before becoming an official APEC group.
IPEG aims to ensure the adequate and effective protection of IP rights in the Asia-Pacific region through legislative, administrative and enforcement mechanisms, anchored on the WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (the TRIPS Agreement) and other related agreements.
Composed of 21 member economies, APEC is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific.