Cebu to have nine patent libraries

CEBU, Philippines - The Intellectual Property (IP) Philippines and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) yesterday with the academe and business sector in Cebu for the establishment of nine Patent Libraries or the Innovation & Technology Support Offices (ITSOs) in Cebu.

Patent Libraries or ITSOs in Cebu will be located at the Cebu Institute of Technology University (CITU), University of Cebu (UC), University of the Philippines Cebu College, University of San Carlos (USC), University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R), and at the offices of Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), MEPZ Chamber of Exporters and Manufacturers (Mepzcem), Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation, Inc., (CFIF) and the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for IT (Cedfit).

The establishment of Patent Libraries or ITSOs is one of the flagship initiatives of IP Philippines (IP Phils). The MOA signing held yesterday at the Elizabeth Hotel formalized the start of the project in Cebu, which aims to improve the capacity of scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs to access patent information and to take advantage of the many practical benefits in using the patent system. 

Although, the IP Philippines envisions the establishment of ITSO in all regions in the country, but it chose Cebu as the pilot area, and the test site before it will be rolled out in other regions and provinces across the country.

According to Department of Trade and Industry-Cebu Provincial Office director Nelia F. Navarro, Cebu was chosen as the pilot area for this project because of its high potential for patent activity, usage of paten information, commercialization of innovation, and most importantly, because of the presence of qualified partner-institutions to host and operate these ITSO’s or Patent Libraries on their own account in accordance with the terms of reference and rules prescribed by IP Philippines.

Under the MOA, IP Philippines and the Host Institutions agreed to establish the first batch of ITSOs in Cebu to achieve the important objectives such as strengthen the institutional capacity of host institutions to conduct patent research, patent drafting, and assistance in patent prosecution; to increase accessibility by host institutions to patent information, and to increase innovative and inventive outputs manifested by increased patent filing by or through the host institution.

The project was pushed in line with the mandate of IP Philippines, which is to “work towards economic, technological and socio-cultural development by communicating, enabling and ensuring the effective use of the IP system in all levels of society for the creation, protection, utilization and enforcement of IP.

Navarro said the project, also supports the vision of “an Intellectual Property Conscious Philippines in a demystified, development-oriented and democratized IP System by 2020.

“The DTI-Cebu fully supports the establishment of ITSOs as these patent libraries can build on the institutional capacities of universities, R & D institutions, industry associations, business development services providers, and consultants to teach and conduct patent searches, patent drafting and provide assistance in patent prosecution,” said Navarro.

At the same time, the local technological base is strengthened by building up local know-how to create, own and manage their IPRs, she said.

Since, Cebu is still on the early stage in building itself as the next “Silicon Valley”, Navarro stressed that developers, as well as companies need to have a good manual for possible innovations, of which similar concept are being half-way developed by other innovation experts around the world.

The facility, will give Cebuanos to access the global science and technology information that are legally available for “copying”.

“Instead of spending money for broad and massive and time consuming research, innovators, R&D developers, academe, and even companies can access the patent library based on their desired technology that needs to be developed,” Navarro said.

The patent library, formally called as ITSOs offer 70 million canned documents that can be accessed by Cebuano developers, ICT experts, academe and any other interested parties, Navarro said. – THE FREEMAN