IPOPHL keeps ISO 9001:2015 certification

January 13, 2023

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has maintained its quality management system’s (QMS) compliance with the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) 9001:2015 Certification, manifesting its unwavering dedication to deliver quality service to the public. 

“Whatever the circumstance, whether at the height of the pandemic or the new normal, we remain true to our commitment to provide a reliable and globally competent service. Thanks to the rapid fulfillment of our digitalization goals, protecting intellectual property (IP) rights has never been this convenient and efficient,” Director General Rowel S. Barba said. 

IPOPHL’s ISO Certification covers the process for the grant of patents and the registration of utility models, industrial designs and trademarks. 

In December 2022, the agency went through an audit review conducted by SOCOTEC Certification Philippines, Inc. to evaluate its eligibility to keep its 9001:2015 certification issued in 2021.

Aside from zero findings of non-conformities during the review, IPOPHL gained seven commendations for the following:

1. Rewards received from both government and private organizations, such as the Silver Performance Government System Trailblazer Awards, PRIME-HRM Bronze Award, the Outstanding Accounting Office Award from the Association of Government Accountants of the Philippines (AGAP), Inc., and nine straight years of reaping the unmodified opinion from the Commission on Audit;
2. Internal statistics to check turnaround time and monitor the performance and outputs of examiners;
3. Thorough conduct of substantive and formative examinations to ensure requirements of patentability and registration are met;
4. All personnel from the Bureau of Patents (BOP) interviewed displayed knowledge and understanding of their processes and are well-aware of their individual contributions to the QMS;
5. High attainment of customer satisfaction of BOP is noteworthy;
6. Strong traceability among reviewed transactions; and 
7. Strong implementation of processes was seen among the sampled transactions of the Bureau of Trademarks. For example, the use of the Industrial Property Administration System (IPAS), which fully automated the processing of IP applications like trademarks, continued to provide efficiency in catering to stakeholder needs.

The ISO Certification is an accreditation conducted by external certification bodies to determine whether an organization meets the international standards in performing business processes. 

The ISO 9001:2015 Certification highlights an office’s risk management and leadership involvement to ensure a more timely and responsive approach in addressing business risks and opportunities.

IPOPHL’s ISO 9001:2015 Certification is valid until 2024. The office has been ISO-certified since its first audit in 2012.