IPOPHL HOLDS “NEGOSYO KO IPO-PROTECT KO” CAPACITY BUILDING FOR DTI NEGOSYO CENTERS IN REGION 6

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) conducted the first "Negosyo Ko, IPO-Protect Ko" capacity building for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Negosyo Centers (NC) Business Counselors and Coordinators in Region 6, on March 9, 2017 at the 3rd Floor, DTI Audio-Visual Room, Iloilo City.

More than fifty (50) DTI NC business counselors, technical staff and provincial coordinators from Antique, Aklan, Guimaras, Capiz, Iloilo and Negros Occidental participated in the said capacity-building activity, which aimed to equip them with relevant knowledge and skills to promote the importance of effective utilization of IP in the region.

The IPOPHL team, composed of Atty. Leny B. Raz, Director of the Bureau of Trademarks and Head of IP Field Operations Unit (IPFOU), Mr. Marlo Q. Carag, Assistant Head of IPFOU and Area Manager for Luzon, Engr. Eric C. Paden, Area Manager for Visayas, and Ms. Marianne Tajanlangit-Bebit, IP Field Operations Specialist in Iloilo/ Region 6, in coordination with DTI Region 6 Regional Office, conducted the activity and provided basic orientation on IP Rights and IP-related services.

The Workshop included hands-on exercises on how to search for trademark (TM) in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) database which houses all the worldwide TM applications and on the e-TM filing system.   IPOPHL guided the participants and provided tips on how to respond appropriately to questions from MSME clients regarding the concepts on patents/invention, utility models, industrial design, trademarks and copyrights.

IP Awareness survey questionnaires containing IP-related scenario and questions were distributed to the participants before and right after the activity.  The survey tool assisted the IPOPHL gauge the readiness and the effectiveness of the activity in equipping the participants with the basic knowledge of IPOPHL's services.  As their “next step,” the participants formulated and submitted their action plan (IP for MSMEs) and request to IPOPHL for future IP support and intervention.

The activity, being the first and pilot capacity-building activity is targeted to be replicated in the other regions such as Davao, Baguio and Cebu.