Philippines IP office improvements

The management consultants have been to visit. The Philippines IP office (IPOPHL) has published it's roadmap for 2011. It contains no less than 70 deliverables, with measurement criteria, goals and champions. This impressive document seeks to make IPOPHL the best IP Office in the ASEAN region. Much of it relates to improving the various capabilities of IPOPHL especially its HR and IT functions. But some issues of most direct relevance to IP holders are:

• streamlining patent procedures, improving examination and speeding up grant
• additional legislation for copyright and IP enforcement
• improving trademark examination quality and speeding up registration times
• improved online search and filing services
• streamlining procedures and better quality written decisions in inter partes cases (oppositions and infringement cases in the BLA)
• better execution of BLA inter partes decisions and publishing all judgments
• a copyright register
• local projects to commercialise IP more effectively

This all sounds impressive and could lead to some great improvements. In general IPOPHL is pretty efficient and well run. The BLA inter partes litigation system is very good. The real problems with IP protection in the Philippines lie outside the purview of IPOPHL in the criminal and civil courts.