Local media and officials attend the IPOPhil orientation on intellectual property registration on July 22, 2024 in Cotabato City. (Hamdan Badrudin/BIO)
COTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro Government and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPhil) recently joined forces to raise awareness about intellectual property (IP) rights.
On July 22, they held an orientation for local media to promote IP registration throughout the Bangsamoro region.
IPOPhil, the government body responsible for implementing state policies on IP, worked with the Ministry of Trade, Investment, and Tourism (MTIT) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). This collaboration aims to bolster IP rights protection and encourage local inventors and creators to safeguard their innovations.
IPOPhil Director General Atty. Rowel Barba underscored the necessity of IP registration for BARMM inventors and creators, emphasizing its role in securing a foothold in the global market.
“Because we have always said that the registration of intellectual property should be part of the business strategy, especially for businesses. It’s a lot of money, sweat invested, and if your product is already popular, others might get it if it’s not protected. It is necessary to be registered and protected from the beginning to be safe,” Barba said.
“I look forward to seeing an increase in innovative activities in BARMM, and together let’s experience a rising BARMM Philippines,” he added.
MTIT Director General Rosslaini Alonto-Sinarimbo pointed out that many creative works and products from the Bangsamoro community remain unregistered due to a lack of awareness about the filing process.
“The palapa already had palapa pork supposedly; it’s from the Maranao people who don’t eat pork. That’s one of the things addressed by the IPOPhil coming to us, and to address that we also have something to do,” Alonto-Sinarimbo said.
“If the use of the halal logo is not regulated, the integrity of Halal Philippines will be affected and other places will lose trust in us. We must work together—the consumers, media, government agencies, and private sector—to raise the level of halal in the Philippines. Not only Muslims benefit, but also manufacturing and the economy will improve when we enter the halal industry,” she added.
MOST Technical Management and Operation Services (TMOS) Director Nasrodin Buisan expressed appreciation for IPOPhil’s support.
“We from the ministry are glad that our friends from IPOPhil are here to assist us as a steady relationship, and there are programs that will provide assistance to our inventors and innovators to register their creations,” Buisan said.
“The ministry, for everyone’s knowledge, is supporting the registration and development of product development, and their activities or output should also be involved. Let us be thankful they are here to orient us on what to do,” he added.
IPOPhil continues to play a vital role in protecting and securing the exclusive rights of scientists, inventors, artists, and other gifted individuals to their intellectual property and creations. (Majid Nur/BIO)
