IPOPHL, FIS partner to provide IP support to more local inventors

THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Filipino Inventors Society (FIS) to help inventors protect their intellectual property (IP) and move further in commercializing their technologies here and abroad.

The MOA was signed between IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba and FIS President Dr. Ronald P. Pagsanghan last week at the IPOPHL office in Taguig City.

Under the MOU work plan, which will lay down the specific activities both parties will respectively and jointly undertake, IPOPHL will capacitate FIS to provide IP expertise to its members and technical assistance under the Inventor Assistance Program (IAP), extend support on enforcement concerns, and help build stronger linkages between the group’s inventors and agencies that can boost their exposure in local and international markets.

IPOPHL will also work to establish a registry of all inventors and innovators and their patents.

For its part, the FIS will actively support and work with IPOPHL in raising awareness, promoting respect in IP, and encouraging its members to register and enforce their IP rights, as well as their technology transfer agreements.

Together, IPOPHL and FIS will support each other’s endeavors towards elevating the country’s innovation scene.

“This partnership will undoubtedly encourage other Filipinos to start their IP journey that can lead to more creations that could change society for the better,” DG Barba said.

DG Barba committed that IPOPHL will ensure that FIS members will be provided support in availing its incentive programs for independent and starting inventors, which include, among others, the agency’s Inventor Assistance Program, which links independent inventors to pro bono patent experts for assistance in patent application processes; the Youth IP Incentive Program, which waives certain fees and provides start-to-finish customer support in IP application; and the Juana Patent and Juana Design Protection Incentive Program, which waives some application fees for eligible women inventors.

Dr. Pagsanghan said the IPOPHL-FIS collaboration “extends beyond just rankings and membership,” and marks inventors’ increased trust in government and commitment to help boost the Marcos administration’s goal of pushing the Philippines to leap higher in the Global Innovation Index ranking by 2028,

He shared that “inventors fear that sharing their invention prototypes with institutions will expose their future IP assets to theft. This fear dampens the spirit of collaboration and the inspiration of inventors who only seek to further the development of technologies that Filipinos could be proud of but are instead discredited from what they have created.”

“Through this MOA, we encourage our members to protect and commercialize their inventions, ensuring they receive the recognition and compensation they deserve. This partnership is more than just rankings and membership: It is also about empowering our inventors to dream bigger, aim more, and contribute significantly to our nation’s progress together with the support of IP capabilities we look forward to developing through IPOPHL’s assistance and dedication,” he added.

The FIS was established in 1943, making it the oldest state-mandated institution to support inventors and advocate for the progress of the local innovation landscape. It is the largest inventor society in the country, with a membership of over 500 members nationwide who have met the group’s membership requirement of having at least one registered patent or utility model.

The FIS is also the Philippine representative for and serves as a voting member at the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA) based in Geneva, Switzerland.