LOOKING BACK: First WIPO-IPOPHL Summer School on IP in Southeast Asia Breeds New Vanguards in IP
July 23, 2021
In 2019, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Academy chose the Philippines to host the first Summer School on IP to come to Southeast Asia.
The event was a success with over 60 people from various sectors and countries gathered in the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) for the 10-day learning event. But more to the volume of participants was the impact it made in helping more people understand the critical need for an intellectual property (IP) culture in society.
“The two-week training has indeed surpassed many of our expectations. We, the participants, have seen the relevance of a strong knowledge on intellectual property, to enable us to function effectively and efficiently as heads of our respective Technology Transfer Offices, as consultants on IP issues or as members of academes, private firms, or government offices, in general,” said Dr. Renan P. Limjuco, Research Director at the University of the Immaculate Conception (UIC) in Davao City, who delivered the response from the local participants to mark the close of the seminar.
Besides educating the participants of the methods in leveraging the Philippine IP system, the WIPO-IPOPHL Summer School on IP offered historical, philosophical, ethical, legal, industrial and cultural narratives and explanations on how the current IP Code and international IP treaties and conventions came to be what they are today.
“Finally, this training is timely and relevant especially amidst the accelerated pace of changes in the scheme of things brought about by the very fast evolution of technology and its industrial implications, e.g. Industry 4.0 and the unstoppable strong influence of social media platforms, i.e. data privacy issues,” added Mr. Limjuco, also the manager of the Information Technology Support Office at the UIC.
Representatives from IPOPHL reported the successful conduct of the WIPO-IPOPHL Summer School on IP at the WIPO General Assembly’s 59th Session held in October 2019. The WIPO-IPOPHL Summer School succeeded in producing more vanguards of the IP system who would advocate for the respect and safeguarding of the rights of intellectual property owners.
More public servant-allies in IP awareness, policy-making
Jollan Llaneza, senior specialist at the Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of International Trade Relations (BITR), said that as IP tools foster innovation and competition, countries should put in place an IP regime that will best suit their interests while remaining cognizant of the international treaties and conventions it is part of.
“BITR could provide better technical support to IPOPHL and the lead negotiators during FTA (free trade agreement) negotiations of IP provisions. Additionally, BITR could use the Joint Economic Commission mechanism in pursuing technical cooperation on IP with IP-rich partners such as Korea, US, and individual EU member-states,” Llaneza added.
Allen Daryl F. Asuelo, Senior Science Research Specialist at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) arm in Western Visayas learned how “long and exhaustive” the processes are in protecting IP rights.
“Learning from the Summer School on IP helped me realize and appreciate the hard work put into by everyone involved in protecting intellectual property rights. Hence IP rights holders should really exploit their rights to gain benefits,” Asuelo said.
As a DOST personnel engaged in the delivery of frontline services, Asuelo said he will leverage the learnings obtained from the Summer School to provide awareness on IP to clients, especially MSMEs.
Bolstering law firms' IP expertise
Taton Law Owner and San Sebastian College-Graduate School of Law Dean Rodel A. Taton said the sessions are comprehensive enough to expand his knowledge even as a current IP professional.
“I can use [what I learned] for my private practice, as a consultant on IP for entities like the Cultural Center of the Philippines and a player in the academe. I can even teach IP in law school and the graduate school of law,” Taton said.
Chamelia Sari, an IP legal counsel at the Prawiranegara International Patent & Trademark Law Office in Indonesia, said she took the program to broaden her horizon on IP and be better equipped in helping their stakeholders.
“I got the chance to know more about the current development related to IP such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, etc. Everything I’ve learned is very useful as a foundation to support my knowledge in IP in order to help our clients,” Sari added.
Dabertte Jemimah B. Sanchez said her deepened understanding of existing safeguards provided by the various international treaties and conventions in IP can help her as managing partner and IP operations manager at Lozada Baldemor-Sanchez & Co.
Encouraging academe to produce socially-relevant innovations
Glenn Niño M. Santillo, resident legal counsel at the Lyceum of the Philippines University, said the WIPO-IPOPHL Summer School on IP has imparted to him knowledge that he will share with the University.
“I am very much willing to share these learnings to encourage the generation of innovative outputs through raising awareness among students, faculty members, researchers, and other stakeholders that hopefully will translate to more active involvement and engagement. Likewise, I can provide useful inputs and insight in the formulation of IP-related policies and guidelines in the University,” Santillo said.
Shannie A. Taduran, a special Science teacher at the Philippine Science High School Bicol Region said the seminar embedded in her the importance of conducting patent searches as a prelude to pursuing research studies.
“Before you undergo any innovation/innovative project, we should first conduct patent searching so that there’s no waste of effort as well as finance in a research and development work,” Taduran said.
Ana Fe N. Molato said that as an ITSO manager and IP office director of Marinduque State College-Boac Campus, the Summer School can significantly help enable her to have “more expertise and vigor in performing her work.”
“I’m excited to go back to work. I’m ready to apply the knowledge and techniques I learned from this Summer School,” Molato added.
Damian Chukwu Odimegwu, administrator of the IP and Technology Transfer Office of the University of Nigeria said the WIPO-IPOPHL Summer School on IP came at an opportune time as the University revises its IP policy to modernize it and keep with the latest and emerging trends in IP.
"With this Summer School on IP, my knowledge base on IP expanded and cleared the direction of how we should go. It's clearer how IP can stimulate startups, businesses and help us maximize our science incubation program," Odimegwu said.
2021 WIPO-IPOPHL Summer School
After the two-week event, the Office has been receiving numerous inquiries on the next Summer School on IP. Fortunately, IPOPHL does not disappoint as it resumes offering this extensive learning experience this year –– even in the middle of a pandemic.
“This year, with the theme “Intellectual Property in Emerging Economies, the Summer School on IP aims to immerse its learners in the role of IP in the socio-cultural, economic, and sustainable development of emerging economies,” IP Academy Officer-in-Charge Assistant Director Frederick Romero, Ph.D. said.
The WIPO-IPOPHL Summer School on IP, to run from August 9 to 20, 2021, is organized by IPOPHL’s IP Academy, the national center for advanced IP professional training and education.
Dr. Romero said that the WIPO-IPOPHL Summer School on IP can benefit everyone from various industries and even from other countries, especially those who are interested in investing, working, or building partnerships with emerging economies like the Philippines.
Interested participants can join the WIPO-IPOPHL Summer School on IP by pre-registering here where more information on the program can also be found. ### (Janina Lim, Media Relations Officer)
