Filipino inventors will soon be able to get free legal advice to patent their inventions internationally, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Such assistance is available to all pilot country members of the Inventor Assistance Program of the World Economic Forum and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The Philippines was among the first three countries accepted to the IAP, the others being Colombina and Morocco.
The Inventor Assistance Program aims to make the intellectual property (IP) system more accessible to financially-strapped inventors who have technologies, concepts and products with market potentials.
Inventors in qualifying countries should agree to the terms drawn up for the IAP.
Patent attorneys would extend legal advice to qualified inventors to protect their products from potential infringers and save them from having to pay exorbitant fees related to the filing of patent applications.
In the words of former DTI Secretary Adrian Cristobal. Jr., intellectual property is relevant to the national economic well being. A program such as the Inventor Assistance Program “would encourage Filipino inventors to bring their technologies to the world.”
According to the guiding principles of the IAP, countries that become members are expected to actively participate in the local implementation and tailoring of the program to local needs and practice of inventors and help promote the program inside the country, including outreach efforts to inform inventors of the program’s existence and eligibility requirements.
The IAP began as a pilot program in Colombia last year and will begin setting up a partnership program among thenational governments of each member country, WIPO, WEF and volunteer legal counsels.
Photo credits: www.ipwatchdog.com