IPOPHL lauds 11 individuals, institutions as intellectual property champions

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), in the recently held Intellectual Property Convergence Forum 2018, recognised 11 outstanding individuals and associations who have been staunch partners of the agency in pushing the intellectual property agenda forward. 

The IPOPHL, on April 26, inaugurated the Intellectual Property Champion’s League that aims to recognise individual or institutional accomplishments or contributions that have long-term, beneficial effect to the IPR environment and IP system in the Philippines.

The Champion’s League is but one portion of a three-part recognition program of the IPOPHL, which will also prospectively, have a separate segment to recognise individuals with notable creative and/or intellectual achievements.

IPOPHL also recognised companies and institutions that have made record-breaking achievements on the use of the intellectual property system in the IPOPHL Special Awards, which preceded the Intellectual Property Champion's League Awards.

Caviteno artist Jinggoy Buensuceso designed the Intellectual Property Champion’s League awards.

The 2018 IP Champion’s League Awardees are:

PRESIDENT FIDEL V. RAMOS 

Former President Fidel V. Ramos put the Philippines in the international intellectual property map when the country hosted the maiden World Broadcasting Symposium in 1997 during his term. In his keynote address, he expressed the country’s commitment of implementing an effective and balanced intellectual property system in this part of the world. The Former President declared ,through a Presidential Proclamation, that the Intellectual Property Rights Week be celebrated in October. The period puts focus on the inventive and creative talents of Filipinos and encourages them to keep their passion aflame.

DOST SECRETARY FORTUNATO DE LA PEÑA

During his stint as the then-DOST undersecretary, Secretary De la Pena championed the government’s “Filipinnovation” program and established pioneering projects that encouraged and supported meaningful research and innovative works to elevate the country’s science and technology capabilities. His initiatives cut across the major components of the IP system — the creation, protection and commercialization of intellectual property assets.

DTI SECRETARY RAMON M. LOPEZ

The IPOPHL has found in DTI a strong advocate in the form of its Secretary, Ramon M. Lopez, who he has pushed intellectual property as a strategic business proposition for companies, which envision having a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Among the significant initiatives of Secretary Lopez is the integration of intellectual property to DTI’s Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise Programs like in “Negosyo Centers” “SME Roving Academy,” “KAPATID Mentor Me,” “RIPPLE Project,” and the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations.

The award was received by DTI Undersecretary Rowel Barba, on behalf of Secretary Lopez.

REPRESENTATIVE NEPTALI GONZALES II

For his strong support during the deliberations for the passage of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines at the House of Representatives and bicameral meetings at the Senate, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines elects the Congressman Neptali Gonzales II as among the distinguished recipients of the 2018 Intellectual Property Rights Champions League.

ATTY.  EMMA C. FRANCISCO

Atty. Emma C. Francisco provided a visionary leadership to create the foundations of an agency mandated to uphold intellectual property rights during her time as the inaugural director general of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines. During her term, she forged the Philippines’ accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty, which introduced the country to a unified procedure in filing patent applications, paving the way to assisting and encouraging Filipino-made inventions.

With Atty. Francisco at the helm, she harnessed the expertise and talents of the new organization’s men and women to craft and formulate the various implementing rules and regulations that would ensure protection of the intellectual capital and its concomitant rights. 

Believing that the continual and independent operation of the then newly established agency would guarantee the full enjoyment of intellectual property protection, Atty. Francisco ensured that self-sustainability provisions in the freshly enacted Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Republic Act 8293) were efficiently carried out.

ATTY. ADRIAN S. CRISTOBAL, JR.

While the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is still in its foundational stages, Atty. Adrian S. Cristobal, Jr., IPOPHL’s second director general, drew a blueprint that would make the agency’s services available to a greater number of people. By opening Intellectual Property Satellite Offices across the country, aggressive campaign for information awareness to primary stakeholders and to the public was initiated.

It was also during Atty. Cristobal’s time when the IPOPHL began involving major players in the intellectual property system like higher education institutions, which are considered bastions of inventive, innovative, and creative outputs in the country.

ATTY. RICARDO R. BLANCAFLOR

Upon assuming office as the third director general of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, Atty. Ricardo Blancaflor maneuvered the country’s intellectual property landscape to be included and recognized in the global system. Through enhancing intellectual property enforcement initiatives, Atty. Blancaflor took the Philippines out of the United States Trade Representative 301 Watch List and led the country to accede to the Madrid Protocol.

Harnessing the IP enforcement resources of government agencies, Atty. Blancalfor rejuvenated the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights and closely engaged member-agencies to a continuous dialogue about planning and implementing measures to lessen intellectual property infringement and piracy in the country.

PHILIPPINE JUDICIAL ACADEMY

For its continued support to impart knowledge on intellectual property among the members of the judiciary, especially to judges designated to commercial courts at the Regional Trial Court level, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines elects the Philippine Judicial Academy to receive the 2018 Intellectual Property Rights Champions League.

PhilJA’s Chief of Academic Affairs Justice Delilah V. Magtolis received the award.

PHILIPPINE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, INC.

For its bid to promote appreciation and application of locally developed and socially driven intellectual property the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines elects the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. to receive the 2018 Intellectual Property Rights Champions League.

UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT—SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH, AND INNOVATION FOR DEVELOPMENT (USAID-STRIDE)

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines’ strong partnership with the USAID-STRIDE institutionalized the groundwork for capacity building of faculty members and of the youth in higher education institutions. Through the years of conducting scholarship grants and advanced training programs, the collaboration successfully improved the research capability, competence, and confidence of burgeoning scientists and researchers.

The continuous endeavor also led to the increased awareness on the nature of innovation and the necessary role of universities and other stakeholders to the rise of the economy and facilitated the conduct of cross-government collaboration on national innovation issues.

Dr. Richard Abendan, STRIDE Research and Industry Partnerships Manager, received the award.

SENATOR RAUL S. ROCO (+)

Considered the “Father of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines,” the late senator Raul S. Roco championed the passage of the law during Senate deliberations and Congressional bicameral meetings. Without him, the law and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines may not have seen light.

It is with great gratitude that the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines confers this posthumous 2018 Intellectual Property Rights Campions League award to the late Senator Raul S. Roco in recognition of “his unwavering stance to forward the promulgation of an intellectual property law in this country.”

The late senator’s son, Robbi Pierre Roco, received the award.