The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has capped the year 2024 with a commendation from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its continuous influence in the Asia Pacific region and beyond.

Emphasizing IPOPHL’s achievements, former Undersecretary of Commerce for IP and Director of the USPTO Kathi Vidal cited IPOPHL and its director general, Atty. Rowel Barba for continuously pushing IP protection to the country and the region.

“Your leadership on this achievement and on a range of other IP-related matters, has helped position IPOPHL as an influential IP office in the Asia Pacific region and internationally,” Vidal said in an official email correspondence informing of her resignation early December.

One of the few

The letter penned by Vidal underscored IPOPHL’s achievement in securing USPTO designation as a competent International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, catapulting IPOPHL to the prestige of being one of the few IP offices designated by the USPTO.

The others were major IP offices such as the Korean Intellectual Property Office, European Patent Office, Japan Patent Office, IP Australia, IP Office of Singapore and Israel Patent Office.

Further, Vidal also extended her appreciation for IPOPHL’s hard work and dedicated service during its chairmanship at the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and the APEC Intellectual Property Experts Group (IPEG).

“While under your leadership, we made real progress on issues of consequence to APEC economies,” she added.

Three-point AIM strategy

Through his three-point AIM strategy — short for “Accelerating the completion of deliverables,” “Intensifying coordination” and “Modernizing processes through digital transformation” — Barba effectively addressed bottlenecks hindering shared goals.

Under his leadership, 75 percent of the 57 deliverables in the bloc’s 10-year roadmap were achieved, a remarkable leap from the 38 percent completion rate when he assumed the role at the AWGIPC.

Beyond his work at the AWGIPC, Barba spearheaded significant reforms as the head of the ASEAN Network of IP Enforcement Experts (ANIEE) and the APEC-IPEG.

At ANIEE, he strengthened coordination among enforcement agencies across ASEAN member states and bolstered their capacity to combat counterfeit trade and online piracy.

In the broader APEC region, Barba elevated IPOPHL’s regional influence by leading inclusive discussions.

He also paved the way for actionable outcomes that promote innovation and creativity while considering the diverse development levels of member economies.

USPTO lauded

IPOPHL also lauded Vidal and the USPTO for their commitment in advancing collaboration, innovation and inclusivity within the IP landscape, underscoring their impact in strengthening international cooperation.

With this, Barba also expressed gratitude to the USPTO’s “consistent and active engagement” with the AWGIPC and the APEC-IPEG.

“Your Office’s contributions have been invaluable in fostering meaningful discussions and advancing collective goals across the ASEAN and APEC regions,” Barba told Vidal.