INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY filings rose 11.6% in 2021 to 46,496 as quarantine restrictions eased and allowed more business activity, according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
The IPOPHL said in a statement on Tuesday that trademark applications increased by 12% to 39,616.
Of the total, pharmaceuticals, health, and cosmetics were the leading source of filings with 11,360, followed by agricultural products and services at 10,977, scientific research and information communication technology at 8,946, management, communications, real estate and financial services at 7,624, and textiles, clothing and accessories at 5,843.
Utility model (UM) filings rose 20% to 1,588, with food chemistry UMs accounting for 815 filings, basic materials chemistry 92, other special machines 77, handling 75, and civil engineering 57.
The IPOPHL said patent filings in 2021 rose 10% to 4,031. Filers seeking protection under the Patent Cooperation Treaty increased 12% to 3,344 while resident filers rose 9% to 455.
Pharmaceutical patents accounted for 3,170 filings, organic fine chemistry 1,562, biotechnology 994, basic materials chemistry 614; and food chemistry 443, it said.
Industrial design filings dropped 0.2% to 1,261. Of these, transport classification filings totaled 152, packages and containers for the transport or handling of goods 95, recording, communication or information retrieval equipment 64, furnishings 62, and fluid distribution equipment, sanitary, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment, and solid fuel 54. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
