Young inventors on the rise in Philippines

IP filings eyed for fresh high

MANILA, Philippines — The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is targeting a new record for IP filings this year, buoyed by a growing number of young inventors.

“Many young people are getting into the groove of what to invent, what to create and what to innovate. But naturally, we at IPOPHL desire much, much more,” IPOPHL director general Teodoro Pascua said in an interview over the weekend.

Pascua said the country has been seeing a steady increase in IP applications, and he is hopeful that filings will be “better” this year.

Filings for patents, trademarks, utility models and industrial designs reached an all-time high of 53,231 in 2025, up by two percent from 52,257 a year earlier.

While declining to provide figures, Pascua said applications have continued to post positive growth nearly nine months into the year.

Beyond increasing the number of IP filings, however, IPOPHL also wants to speed up the registration process to encourage more innovators to formally protect their creations.

“We can only encourage and persuade (people to file). But the registration, that’s within our fingers. If we can accelerate it, I think it would be much better than just asking others to keep on filing,” Pascua said.

Last week, the Department of Trade and Industry launched the ASEAN Creative Industries Expo, showcasing various creative industry domains, including audiovisual media, creative services, design, digital interactive media, and publishing and printed media.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said the creative industry serves as a form of cultural currency, drawing global audiences and opportunities to the Philippines.

“This cultural currency is no longer just an expression of identity. The creative industry is a major strength of the Philippines and a primary driver for both trade and tourism,” Roque said.

Philippine Statistics Authority data showed that the creative economy rose to P2.12 trillion last year, accounting for around 7.6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

This included P320.06 billion in creative goods exports and P426.99 billion in creative services exports.

Employment in creative industries, however, declined to 8.71 million in 2025 from the previous year’s 8.74 million.

Roque acknowledged that much work remains to be done to fully realize the sector’s full potential.