Home 
Cebu City, Philippines - Micro, small and medium enterprises in Cebu and the country are urged to maximize the use of the intellectual property (IP) system, such as trademarks and patents, to protect innovation and encourage creativity.
Having a trademark or patent gives more value to an innovation, apart from allowing the entrepreneur to gain profit from his or her creativity, said lawyer Adrian S. Cristobal Jr., director general of Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IP Philippines).
“By granting a patent to an inventor of a new product or technology the exclusive rights for 20 years, the inventor can continue to develop invention, produce it, market and sell it, thus allowing him to recoup his investments before the invention becomes public domain,” he said.
Cristobal was in Cebu yesterday to open the two-day strategic management seminar and use of IP in MSMEs at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.
He was also present to open IP Philippines' first satellite office outside Metro Manila
The IP office in Cebu will be located at the Department of Trade and Industry Central Visayas (DTI 7) office on Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu City.
Cristobal told the 71 seminar participants that the government was embarking on an outreach program to promote IP to MSME and to visual artists, investors and entrepreneurs.
“The MSMEs are particularly important for our goal to foster creativity and innovation in our country to increase productivity and competitiveness,” he said.
He noted that in the last five years, the MSME sector accounted for 99.7 percent of registered businesses in the country employing about 70 percent of total labor force.
IP Philippines also signed yesterday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with five local chambers and industry associations, which are mostly composed of SMEs, to encourage them to apply for trademarks and patents.
These are the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), Cebu Fashion Accessories Manufacturers-Exporters Philippines Inc. (Cebu Fame), Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. (CFIF), Cebu Gifts, Toys and Housewares Foundation Inc. (Cebu-GTH) and Association of Negros Producers.
“This is a big boost to our sector, to be more oriented and knowledgeable on this kind of system. The world is changing and business is not done the way it used to be,” said Cebu Fame president Janet Chua.
Cebu GTH president Ramir Bonghanoy said the presence of an IP satellite office in Cebu can help facilitate trademark and patent applications and trigger “a culture of change” that innovation should be taken into consideration.
“Every design a company comes out with is a product of serious thinking and rigorous product development. Then all of a sudden it is used by people who did not even spend anything. Now is the time to change that culture,” he told reporters.
CCCI president Edward Gaisano said there is a need to “monetize creativity” for Cebuanos to gain advantage of these talents and skills.
DTI 7 regional director Asteria Caberte said DTI agreed to partner with IP Philippines since “we would like to elevate the awareness level of SMEs in the region.”
