September 3, 2020 - As the country continues to adapt to changes posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, DOST-TAPI takes pride on pursuing the flagship program called the Intellectual Property Rights Assistance Program or IPRAP, which provides inventors the assistance in securing Intellectual Property (IP) protection.
In fact, the said program has evaluated 88 proposed technologies, assisted 23 applicants filing for IP, and provided technical consultations to 25 inventors last June 2020 alone. Moreover, a number of COVID-19-related technologies have been evaluated for IP protection, thus, ensuring that inventors will get the proper IP services they need through government support.
Since applications are expected to increase in the coming months, TAPI’s Invention Development Division (TAPI-IDD) had taken the initiative to strengthen its IPRAP Team by increasing the number of evaluators to accommodate all requests received. TAPI now taps all available in-house patent agents/IP experts to facilitate the immediate drafting and filing of IPs for COVID-19 related inventions. This expedites securing of IP protection for every COVID-19 related technology developed by the Filipino people.
Furthermore, IPRAP intensifies its call for IP requests across the archipelago. Program Manager Ms. Anna Liza B. Saet spearheads TAPI’s effort in search of technologies and offer IP protection to individual inventors, inventors’ organizations, state universities and colleges, and researchers with privately funded R&D.
TAPI-IDD Chief Atty. Marion Ivy D. Decena says that the pandemic may have influenced the decline in number of requests for IP protection received by TAPI compared to the previous year, but she is certain that Filipinos are taking inspiration in providing remedy to the current situation. “We, in TAPI, are always ready to reach out these creative and innovative minds amid the pandemic and offer them our services for IP protection and commercialization,” she added.
For more information about IPRAP, you may visit http://www.tapi.dost.gov.ph/ or reach us on our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/idd.tapi/.
DOST-TAPI
APRIL LYNN S. VILORIA
EARL MATTHEW SD. SABILE