Makati, May 25, 2009. To promote homegrown products and prevent misuse and misrepresentation of these assets, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IP Philippines) urges businesses and local government leaders to protect these products as geographic indications (GIs).
According to IP Philippines Director General, Atty Adrian S. Cristobal, Jr, “Properly managed Philippine GIs can promote local community and regional development. More important, they can nurture local and national pride in our homegrown products.”
A GI is a form of intellectual property (IP) that indicates the specific geographical location where a unique product is made and giving its producers the exclusive right to brand the product using the name of the place. Many countries, especially developing ones, have long established their own GI system as a means to protect domestic products and boost their value in both local and international markets. “This exclusive right to use the indicator has been proven to be a strategic tool for branding to gain market share and promote local community and regional economic development,” Cristobal explains.
Among the most successful GIs are the Champagne of France, Tequila of Mexico, and most recently, the Jasmine Rice of Thailand. In 2007, champagne export volume reached 150 million bottles. Between January and June of the same year, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service reported that 140 million liters of tequila was exported to over 100 countries.
In the Philippines, GIs are protected through registration as Collective or Community marks. Local governments are quickly catching on and recognizing the value of having exclusivity over their homegrown products. Sarangani province, for instance, registered two marks: the Sarangani Golden Mango and Sarap Saranggani. Bulacan branded its famous sweets “Tatak Bulacan;” Tarlac has registered “Natural Tarlac,” positioning the province as a source of natural and organic products. Pampanga has “Vida Pampanga” for its local delicacies.
“Throughout the country, regional and local communities are proud of a special cuisine or delicacy or a homegrown product that they want to sell to the rest of the country and the world,” says Cristobal.
In order to extend its public outreach, and as a means to make IP registration more accessible, IP Philippines launched its Field Operations Units (FOU) in 2008. To date, four IP satellite offices (IPSO) have already opened: Cebu, Davao, Angeles, and Legazpi. IP Philippines’ regional presence and accessibility spurred IP filing activities, with 139 IP applications filed directly through the FOUs in 2008. For the first quarter of 2009, 120 IP filings have been recorded.
“More important for the development and growth of MSMEs, the IPSOs now mainstream the protection, promotion and management of IP assets into the MSME development program of the government. It also completes the package of services and skills that entrepreneurs need by introducing the concept of managing creativity and innovation,” Cristobal explains.
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IP Philippines promotes creativity and innovation through the country's intellectual property system. IP Philippines grants patents and trademarks, supports the creative industries and advocates a vibrant IP culture.
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