Mining innovation: The Filipino way

AuthorAndrew Michael Ong
PositionFormer Deputy Director General for policy, international relations and legal matters, Intellectual Property, Office of the Philippines
Pages14-16
p. 14 2013 | 4
MINING
INNOVATION:
e Filipino Way
By Andrew Michael Ong,
former Deput y Director General f or
policy, intern ational relatio ns and
legal matte rs, Intellectu al Property
Oce of the Phili ppines
As one of the fastest growing econom ies in the world, with a
growth rate in 2012 of 6.6 percent, there is renewed optimism
that the Philippines will na lly shed its image as the “sick man of
Asia”. With robust domestic consumption supporting the mo-
mentum for growth and reforms a nd anti-corruption measures
driving improvements in the manufacturing and services sector,
the time is ripe for the countr y to ex its economic muscle. For
this to happen, policy-makers need to invest i n developing a
legal framework, institu tions and systems to support innovation
and technological development; and businesses need to move
from being technology consumers to becoming technology
creators by leveraging their resea rch and development (R&D)
capabilities to produce high-quality, innovative, value-added
products and services.
MAXIMIZ ING THE BENEFITS OF PATENT INFORMATION
Strategic, development-oriented use of the patent system ha s a
key role to play in supporting innovation an d economic growth.
Not only do patents act as incentives fo r continued investment
in technological R&D by recog nizing and rewarding inventors,
they also act as a vehicle to dissem inate technol ogical knowl-
edge. All those applying fo r patent protection are required to
explain how their technology works. This so-called “disclosure
requirement” makes patents a ri ch source of technological in-
formation. In addition, patents also transfor m useful knowledge
into tradable propert y rights, serving as a ba sis, for example,
for establishing technol ogy licensing agree ments to facilitate
technology transactions among multiple partners and minimize
risks of misappropriation o r infringement. Many countries use
technology licenses to gai n access to know-how that exists
beyond their borders to enhance industrial and manufacturing
capacity at home. The re is no reason, in theory at least, why the
Philippines cannot levera ge the patent system in the same way.
IMPROVING IP AWARENE SS: A PRIORITY
In practice, however, Philippine businesses de monstrate little
understanding of how strategic use of patents ca n drive in-
novation and secure a competitive ad vantage. Low levels of
intellectual proper ty (IP) awareness, even among tech nology
professionals and busine ss executives, are reected in national
ITSO sta u ndertake an i ntensive train ing
program before a n oce opens. So far
50 ITSOs are i n operation. With m any
universit ies eager to join the prog ram,
this number i s likely to incre ase.
Photo: IPOPHL

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT