THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said it launched an electronic certificate of patent program, known as Patent eCert, on Feb. 28 to bring the intellectual property (IP) registration process online from end to end.
The IPOPHL said in a statement on Wednesday that starting March 1, Patent eCerts will be issued to all invention applications recommended for grant and utility model (UM), and industrial design (ID) applications recommended for registration, as provided under Bureau of Patents (BoP) Memorandum Circular 2022-001.
Meanwhile, all applications recommended for grant or registration before March 1 will receive the traditional paper certificate issued by IPOPHL.
“Such certification is vital for an inventor or business as proof of ownership when pursuing commercialization, enforcing rights over a patent, UM or ID and gaining a competitive edge. The timely receipt of these certificates will ensure zero disruptions in schedule for various business or innovation-driven undertakings such as licensing, commercialization and patent mining, among others,” the IPOPHL said.
“The timely issuance of eCerts will also allow the timely uploading of patent documents to the IPOPHL Patent Search and other search tools for the benefit of incoming patent filers or those surveying the patent landscape in search of a new innovation project,” it added.
Upon securing BoP approval and the payment of the required fees, the Patent eCert will be sent to the applicants through IPOPHL eCorrespondence.
IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said each Patent eCert will have a quick response (QR) code that proves the validity of the document when scanned, and a link to the full text of the patent document linked with the Patent eCert.
“We are ushering in a new era in patent administration characterized by complete digitalization from filing to issuance of certificates. With Patent eCerts, Letters Patent and Certificates of Registration for UM or ID will be issued in a faster, more convenient, efficient, less-costly and, in the context of the pandemic, a safer manner,” BoP Director Lolibeth R. Medrano said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
