THE FILIPINO WAY
MINING
INNOVATION :
THE FILIPINO WAY
By Andrew Michael S . Ong
Director , Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific , WIPO
Edited by : Catherine Jewell , Editor , WIPO Magazine Also published by WIPO Magazine , August 2013
As one of the fastest growing economies in the world , with a growth rate in 2012 of 6.6 percent , there is renewed optimism that the Philippines will finally shed its image as the " sick man of Asia ". With robust domestic consumption supporting the momentum for growth and reforms and anti-corruption measures driving improvements in the manufacturing and services sector , the time is ripe for the country to flex its economic muscle . For this to happen , policymakers need to invest in developing a legal framework , institutions and systems to support innovation and technological development ; and businesses need to move from being technology consumers to becoming technology creators by leveraging their research and development ( R & D ) capabilities to produce high-quality , innovative , valueadded products and services .
MAXIMIZING THE BENEFITS OF PATENT INFORMATION
Strategic , development-oriented use of the patent system has a key role to play in supporting innovation and economic growth . Not only do patents act as incentives for continued investment in technological R & D by recognizing and rewarding inventors , they also act as a vehicle to disseminate technological knowledge . All those applying for patent protection are required to explain how their technology works . This so-called " disclosure requirement " makes patents a rich source of technological information .
In addition , patents also transform useful knowledge into tradable property rights , serving as a basis , for example , for establishing technology licensing agreements to facilitate technology transactions among multiple partners and minimize risks of misappropriation or infringement . Many countries use technology licenses to gain access to know-how that exists beyond their borders to enhance industrial and manufacturing capacity at home . There is no reason , in theory at least , why the Philippines cannot leverage the patent system in the same way .
IMPROVING IP AWARENESS : A PRIORITY
In practice , however , Philippine businesses demonstrate little understanding of how strategic use of patents can drive innovation and secure a competitive advantage . Low levels of intellectual property ( IP ) awareness , even among technology professionals and business executives , are reflected in national patent filing statistics . Since the enactment of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines ( Republic Act No . 8293 ) in 1984 , a consistently low number of patent applications have been filed by residents , accounting for only between 3 and 5 percent of the total number of annual patent filings ( see Figure 1 ). There is clearly huge untapped potential for industry to use patents to strengthen and leverage their R & D activities and create a favorable climate for innovation .
In a move to boost use of the patent system within the Philippine business community and to improve awareness of the strategic value of patents , the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines ( IPOPHL - the government agency responsible for promoting the use of IP for national economic development ) refocused its activities . Since 2010 , the need to explain the benefits of IP and how it can be used to help achieve the country ' s development goals has become its foremost priority .
IPOPHL ' s new vision is capturing the imagination of the national IP community and is also attracting interest in new circles , among groups that had never previously considered IP to be relevant to them . The challenge now is to provide the know-how and the tools these new stakeholders need to use the IP system for their purposes . Developing the knowledge and skills required to research and use patent information seemed an ideal starting point in enabling new users to add value to and leverage their work .
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