DTI Iloilo caps NC PRIDE with IP orientation

ILOILO CITY — The Department of Trade and Industry Iloilo capped its NC PRIDE Program on Sept. 25 with an orientation on intellectual property rights and the turnover of completed product label designs to newly assisted micro, small, and medium enterprises.

The activity, conducted through DTI Iloilo’s Negosyo Center Program, covered copyrights, patents, and trademarks to help participating MSMEs protect their brands, inventions, and creative works.

It marked the final phase of the NC PRIDE, or Packaging, Regulatory Compliance, Intellectual Property, and Product Design Enhancement, Program after three rounds of one-on-one product development consultations between participating entrepreneurs and DTI Iloilo’s in-house designers.

Officer-in-Charge Provincial Director Ma. Dorita D. Chavez encouraged the participating MSMEs to continue improving and innovating their products to keep pace with changing market demands.

Chavez also reaffirmed DTI Iloilo’s commitment to assisting local enterprises in strengthening their businesses and improving their products.

The Negosyo Center program was established under Republic Act 10644, or the Go Negosyo Act, which mandates the centers to provide MSMEs with services including business registration assistance, regulatory guidance, market linkages, and access to government support programs.

Marianne T. Bebit, intellectual property specialist III of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, served as the resource person for the intellectual property orientation.

The session discussed ways entrepreneurs can protect intellectual property tied to their products, including trademarks for brand identity, patents for qualified inventions, and copyright protection for original creative works.

IPOPHL administers the country’s intellectual property system, including the examination and registration of trademarks and the granting of patents, while copyright protection generally arises automatically upon creation of an eligible work.

DTI Iloilo said the orientation and label design assistance were intended to help local entrepreneurs improve how their products compete in the market while giving them a better understanding of how to protect the business assets they create.