The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines  (IPOPHL) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to bring IPOPHL’s incentive packages, especially its Juan for the World (JFTW) Program, closer to the grassroots. 

Under the MOA, PCCI and its members may sponsor at least the basic fee of an applicant’s international application under the Madrid Protocol through the JFTW program. The Madrid Protocol is the international route for trademark applications and the basic fee could cost at least CHF 625 depending on the number of goods selected for a product. 

Majority of PCCI members belong to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) category. PCCI is the country’s largest business organization with members nationwide. 

IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba and PCCI Executive Vice President Ferdinand Ferrer signed the MOA.

“IPOPHL looks forward to a stronger partnership with PCCI so that we empower our MSMEs not only to thrive but achieve success in the global arena. As such, we look forward to PCCI’s support in assisting MSMEs to register to our JFTW Program which encourages our entrepreneurs to protect their trademarks abroad,” Barba said at the MOA signing. 

The move is part of IPOPHL’s broader goal to make more businesses competitive globally through their IPs. Earlier this year, IPOPHL also partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) to provide broader support to exporters in protecting their IP assets in the international market. 

For its part, IPOPHL will assist the PCCI’s sponsored applicants under the JFTW Program by capacitating them on branding and trademark protection, waiving the handling fee for the Madrid international application and providing advisory assistance until their registrations are approved.

Under the MOA, the PCCI also commits to bring more women entrepreneurs and women-led MSMEs to own their brands through the Juana Make Mark Program, which waives filing fees to eligible MSMEs.

Making IP more felt in the grassroots

The PCCI will also promote IP registration and the optimal use of the IP system; support enforcement initiatives to combat piracy and counterfeiting; and involve IPOPHL in programs and activities that promote IP as valuable business tools. 

Ferrer stressed the importance of IP in various communities is crucial in making more competitive MSMEs. 

“Whenever you travel across the country, you can really see that there is something different with these MSMEs, that there is really that asset of creativity and branding. Unfortunately, there are challenges in explaining why they have to protect their brands, enforce their IP rights and respect the rights of others. So, this MOA is a very welcome development to our longstanding partnership with IPOPHL,” Ferrer said. 

Both parties will also continue conducting the Alfredo M. Yao (AMY) IP Awards, an annual event jointly conducted by IPOPHL and PCCI since 2009. The program aims to recognize patented and patentable technologies that help the country realize economic development.