IPOPHL, PCAARRD push more academic institutions to develop IP policies
September 9, 2021
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, in partnership with the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), recently held an online training workshop on intellectual property (IP) policy development, which benefitted about 106 participants from higher education institutions (HEIs).
The three-day workshop, which ran from August 31 to September 2, aimed to help institutions craft and update their IP policies, which would set clear guidelines on research operations, ownership, incentives and technology commercialization
At the workshop, IPOPHL highlighted the need to ensure IP protection before publishing research papers and ultimately eradicate the “publish or perish” culture in the academe, wherein a successful academic career is measured by publication rather than impact.
IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said the effort to embed IP more deeply in institutions’ innovation agenda “will bolster IP development in the country and enhance a culture and mindset of creativity and innovation among Filipinos.”
“This will also benefit our people by raising awareness of IP rights, as well as supporting our micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) who seek the help of these institutions in developing and commercializing their IPs,” Barba added.
The effort is also in line with the country’s Inclusive Innovation Industrial Strategy (i³S), which aims to make local industries like manufacturing and agriculture globally competitive and more deeply integrated into global value chains.
This recent workshop is the second held jointly by IPOPHL’s Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau and PCAARRD, with the first conducted in November 2020.
Under this partnership, IPOPHL has been able to help a total of 67 state universities and colleges and five private HEIs.
HEIs' development of IP policies is mandated under Section 230 of Republic Act (RA) 10372 amending RA 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code.
Under this provision, schools and universities shall adopt IP policies that would govern the use and creation of IP with the purpose of safeguarding the intellectual creations of learning institutions and its employees.
They shall also adopt locally-established industry practice on fair use guidelines.
These policies may be developed in relation to licensing agreements entered into by the learning institution with a collective licensing organization.
