IPOPHL launches Youth Intellectual Property Incentive

August 12, 2022

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has officially launched the Youth Intellectual Property Incentive (YIPI) Program to encourage the young to create and protect intellectual property. 

The program waives certain application fees for young filers and provides them with technical consultations and capacity building for qualified individual and institutional applicants.

“We created the YIPI Program to encourage our young creators to build a more progressive and inclusive future through IP,” said Director General Rowel S. Barba during the launch on 12 August 2022.

Barba also gave an overview of IPOPHL’s ongoing efforts to empower the youth. 

Among these are the Young IP Advocates (or YIPA) Program which aims to create more young IP enthusiasts through establishing IP clubs in partner high schools. Barba also mentioned the positive outcomes from IPOPHL’s efforts to integrate IP into the educational curriculum.

“Thus, the YIPI Program is the obvious next step in empowering our young people to become not only IP advocates but also inventors, innovators and creators,” Barba added.

Vice-President Sarah Z. Duterte commended IPOPHL for coming up with the “exceptionally relevant” youth-focused program that will provide a “safe place” for the youth.

“The world of innovation, design, art and creation is intensely cut-throat — and always there seems to be a deep sense of mistrust and insecurity among our young intellectuals to push the button that gives flesh to great ideas,” Duterte said.

“The YIPI Program gives light to the importance of the promotion and protection of IP because of the security and benefit that the program offers to young Filipino intellectuals — creating an incredible rippling effect on our efforts for the Filipino youth to confidently partner with the government and help our socio-economic and development agenda,” Duterte added. 

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual also lauded IPOPHL for rolling out a program to empower young minds. 

“The DTI looks forward to working with IPOPHL so we can truly harness the capabilities of our people and integrate our efforts in promoting IP in businesses, especially MSMEs,” read Pascual’s message.

Presenting the terms of YIPI, Bureau of Patents Director Lolibeth R. Medrano explained that individuals aged 23 years old and below at the time of filing an invention, utility model (UM), industrial design (ID) or trademark application, as well as institutions with one youth inventor, designer or entrepreneur, may apply as beneficiary. 

Eligible youth filers will not have to pay the following fees: 

1. Filing fee for invention and utility model not exceeding five claims, industrial design not exceeding 10 embodiments;
2. Filing fee for trademark application for one class including color claim fee, as may be applicable; 
3. First publication fee; 
4. Substantive examination fee for invention; and, 
5. Annuity fee for invention for the first and second anniversaries. 

The program also extends benefits retroactively. Applications filed from 01 January 2020 to 12 August 2022 no longer have to pay for unpaid and assessed fees from the foregoing list. 

Youth and institutional applicants may request IPOPHL, through the Documentation, Information and Technology Bureau for technical consultations and capacity building on IP commercialization and management. Requests may be sent through yipi@ipophil.gov.ph.

The program allocates 500 trademark, 200 invention, 200 utility model and 200 industrial design applications to be filled.

In his speech, Deputy Director General Nelson P. Laluces encouraged the large young demographic of the country to take the next step in their innovation and creativity journey through YIPI.

“The benefits of IP can help channel your out-of-the-box and innovative thinking to lead the Philippines into a brighter and more inclusive future… IPOPHL is here to support you every step of the way,” Laluces added.