IPOPHL extends PCT program after record-high 2021 int’l patent applications

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) received record international applications for patent protection in 2021, motivating the Office to do more in bringing local inventions to the global stage.

Preliminary data show that IPOPHL processed 45 outbound applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) System in 2021, marking a 137% increase from 2020 PCT applications and an all-time high.

The PCT System allows an inventor to file a single patent in multiple or all 155 PCT contracting states.

“With the continued reopening of the economy, we hope to encourage more local inventors and companies to seek global opportunities,” Director General Rowel S. Barba said.

As part of this global push, IPOPHL extended its PCT Filing Assistance Program until Dec. 31, 2022 through Memorandum Circular 2022-007.

Implemented by the Bureau of Patents (BOP), the PCT Filing Assistance Program waives fees for an International Search Report (ISR) ($400 for small entities and $1,000 for big entities) and International Preliminary Examination Report (IPER) ($200 for small entities and $500 for big entities).

The program also provides technical consultation on the PCT system and the application process.

Eligible beneficiaries include Filipino inventors, higher educational institutions that are members of IPOPHL’s Innovation and Technology Support Office Program, and foreign inventors (eligible for 90% reduction in certain PCT Fees)  coming from PCT contracting states that designate IPOPHL as an International Searching and Preliminary Examining Authority (ISA/IPEA) and where IPOPHL is their selected Office of first filing from Feb. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022.

As an ISA/IPEA, IPOPHL prepares International Search Reports (ISRs) and International Preliminary Examination Reports (IPER).

An ISR identifies the existing patents and prior art which may affect an invention’s patentability. Meanwhile, an IPER is an initial assessment of an application’s novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability prepared according to international standards.

Both reports help an applicant evaluate the chances of his invention being patented under the PCT.

“With their inventions or UMs patented, our FIlipino inventors can gain greater competitiveness with their exclusive rights to prevent others from making, using, offering for sale, selling or importing their inventions,” BOP Director Lolibeth R. Medrano said.