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Tag: IPOPHL

  • Patent analytics of IPOPHL gets an upgrade

    Patent analytics of IPOPHL gets an upgrade

    The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has helped build up the patent analytics capabilities of intellectual property counterparts in the ASEAN region following an ASEAN-wide primer to Patent Analytics for Intellectual Property (IP) Offices workshop at the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) Singapore. 

    Co-implemented by the WIPO and the Government of Singapore, the workshop held in June aimed to provide an avenue for the exchange of best practices in patent analytics across national IP offices, including IPOPHL which stands as a pioneer in developing such capabilities in the ASEAN region. 

    Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau (DITTB) Assistant Director Chamlette D. Garcia and Bureau of Patents (BOP) Assistant Director Cristina P. De Guzman represented IPOPHL in a high-level meeting with the ASEAN delegates where they exchanged best practices and insights in building a robust patent analytics framework. Meanwhile, DITTB ‘s IP Business Services and Development Division Officer-in-Charge Engr. Wilfredo Calaguan provided an in-depth introduction to patent analytics and building up patent analytics capabilities in IP offices.

    Also discussed during the workshop was the Southeast Asia Patent Landscape report which recognizes the Philippines as one of the leading patent filers in Southeast Asia alongside Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Together, the six countries are cited as an “innovation powerhouse, contributing an impressive 99.8% of all inventions originating from the region.”

    “The insights shared during the workshop will undoubtedly catalyze efforts to strengthen patent analytics capabilities in Southeast Asia, fostering a more dynamic and competitive IP landscape,” said Garcia.

    He added that IPOPHL also gained deeper knowledge on emerging trends and market patterns in the innovation industry, enabling its patent analytics service to deliver more up-to-date information that can give stakeholders a competitive edge.

    Key topics of discussion included the essential skills for patent analysts, the impact of data storytelling and the transformative role of AI in modernizing patent analytics practices. The event highlighted the growing enthusiasm for IP analytics and its potential to drive innovation and economic growth across the region.

    Supported by WIPO and the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the event was attended by representatives from ASEAN IP offices, including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 

    Aside from IPOPHL’s Calaguan, speakers at the workshop also included WIPO Patent Analytics Manager Christopher Harrison; Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) International Patent Search, Examination and Analytics Director Alfred Yip; and IPOS International Patent Analytics Head Dr. Huang Jinquan and IPOS International Patent Analyst Dr. Bernice Oh. 

    Patent analytics strengthens IP protection through meaningful data that can identify gaps and new developments throughout the innovation landscape. With the DITTB, IPOPHL empowers inventors in the academe and research and development institutions through continuous patent drafting, patent information search and patent analytics capacity-building with partner Innovation and Technology Support Offices (ITSO). 

  • Intellectual property office appoints Arevalo as Deputy Director General

    Intellectual property office appoints Arevalo as Deputy Director General

    The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has added a new member to its Executive Committee with the recent appointment of Atty. Nathaniel S. Arevalo as its Deputy Director General.

    Arevalo was previously the Director of the Bureau of Legal Affairs (BLA) for 14 years and has been with IPOPHL for nearly 25 years. He started his career in public service in 1991 with the Civil Service Commission and took the bar examinations in 1997. After one year of private law practice, he rejoined the government in 2000 through IPOPHL. He worked as head of the Legal Staff of the Office of the Director General (ODG) before being appointed as Director IV of the BLA in 2010. 

    Arevalo also took the lead on IP chapters in Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, including the Philippine-European Free Trade Association FTA, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement, and the on-going ASEAN-Canada Free Trade negotiations where he sits as ASEAN Chair and Co-Chair of the Working Group on Intellectual Property. 

    Director General Rowel S. Barba welcomed the appointment of Arevalo who was sworn into office last April 22 by Department of Trade and Industry Fred E. Pascual.
    “Atty. Nat is a dedicated public servant and has extensive experience in legal affairs, policy and legislative issues. I’m confident that with a larger role, scope and responsibility, he will deliver to push us to achieve our breakthrough goals and even beyond what is expected of us,” Barba said.

  • IPOPHL names new director 

    IPOPHL names new director 

    On 17 April 2023, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) officially introduced Atty. Ann Claire C. Cabochan as its latest Deputy Director General for Operations.

    Prior to her tenure at the CPG, Cabochan served as the director of the Bureau of International Trade Relations at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), where she held key positions as the ASEAN senior official and the APEC senior official for trade. Moreover, Cabochan led the Philippine delegation in disputes presented before the World Trade Organization.

    With a background in law and as a certified public accountant, Cabochan brings a wealth of experience from her prior role as assistant secretary for the Consumer Protection Group (CPG) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), where she played a significant role in shaping policies and regulations at CPG bureaus, including the Bureau of Philippine Standards, Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau, and Consumer Policy and Advocacy Bureau.

    “Aside from her profound expertise in International Trade, Regional Economic Integration, Good Regulatory Practices and Consumer Protection, Atty. Cabochan has advanced several discussions on consumer protection and sustainable consumption on a regional level with significant outcomes,” Director General Rowel S. Barba said.

    “Having her on-board, IPOPHL is more empowered not just in furthering important discussions on intellectual property (IP) but also in putting in motion best practices to better protect IP and promote its balanced use in the digital age,” Barba added.

    Before joining the CPG, Cabochan was director of the DTI’s Bureau of International Trade Relations, functioning as ASEAN senior official, APEC senior official for trade, and lead Philippine delegate to disputes brought before the World Trade Organization.

    Before joining the DTI, she had stints at the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    The new DDG also has extensive experience in the academe as full-time Accountancy professor at Silliman University; part-time Law professor at the Lyceum of the Philippines and the Arellano University School of Law; and, part-time College of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School of Business professor at the San Beda University.

    As DDG for Operations, Cabochan will assist the Director General and oversee the operations of the Bureau of Patents; Bureau of Trademarks; Bureau of Copyright and Related Rights; Bureau of Legal Affairs; Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau; Financial Management and Administrative Service; Management Information Service; and Intellectual Property Regional Operations.

    Cabochan replaced Atty. Nelson P. Laluces who retired last year after two consecutive five-year terms as DGG for Operations

  • IPOPHL eyes AGAP Hall of Fame award 

    IPOPHL eyes AGAP Hall of Fame award 

    FMAS’ efforts are continuously capacitating its staff while exploring how the office can further utilize relevant Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools. 

    The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) received this week an Outstanding Accounting Office Award from the Association of Government Accountants of the Philippines (AGAP), Inc. through the recommendation of the Commission on Audit (COA). 

    The award was received by IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba, Financial Management and Administrative Service (FMAS) Director Frisco L. Guce and Chief Accountant Hidaya Hadji Omar at the Park Inn by Radisson North Edsa. 

    “We celebrate this feat thanks to the firm and uncompromising work of each one at FMAS. Rest assured that we will strive to continue strictly complying with the government accounting and auditing standards as we uphold and promote good governance,” Guce said. 

    To be eligible for the award, an office must have received from COA an unqualified opinion in its latest financial statements and has met criteria on accuracy, timeliness, reliability and compliance with accounting rules and regulations. 

    IPOPHL has maintained its unqualified opinion from COA for nine straight years and now aims to maintain the AGAP award for three straight years until it reaches the AGAP Hall of Fame recognition.  

    To achieve this, part of FMAS’ efforts is continuously capacitating its staff while exploring how the office can further utilize relevant Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools. 

    “As a financially self-sustaining agency, our office must be careful and compliant with all standard rules to properly manage its funds. Through this, we hope to cement the public’s trust,” Barba said. 

    AGAP is an institution of budget officers, supply officers, cashiers and personnel belonging to the Finance Group from national government agencies, local government units and government owned or controlled corporations.