THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPhl) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) have forged a partnership to support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in protecting their intellectual property (IP) rights and expanding globally.

IPOPhl said that this new collaboration aims to boost the presence of internationally recognized Filipino brands and spread awareness of IP rights among small businesses.

IPOPhl Director General Rowel Barba said they look forward to a stronger partnership with PCCI to empower MSMEs to achieve success in the global arena.

"As such, we look forward to PCCI's support in assisting MSMEs to register to our JFTW program, which encourages our entrepreneurs to protect their trademarks abroad," said Barba, referring to the Juan for the World Trademark program.

According to the agreement, the PCCI can cover the basic fee of an applicant's international trademark application under the Madrid Protocol through the JFTW program.

The Madrid Protocol serves as the global avenue for trademark applications, and the minimum fee could be around P39,000 or more, depending on the number of goods chosen for a product.

The PCCI also commits to bringing more women entrepreneurs and women-led MSMEs to own their brands under the agreement. It will also advocate for IP registration and support enforcement efforts to combat piracy and counterfeiting.

PCCI Executive Vice President Ferdinand Ferrer emphasized the significance of IP within different communities for enhancing the competitiveness of MSMEs.

"Whenever you travel across the country, you can really see that there is something different with these MSMEs, that there is really that asset of creativity and branding," said Ferrer.

"Unfortunately, there are challenges in explaining why they have to protect their brands, enforce their IP rights, and respect the rights of others. So this MoA (memorandum of agreement) is a very welcome development to our longstanding partnership with IPOPhl," he added.

For its part, IPOPhl will support the PCCI's sponsored applicants by providing training on branding and trademark protection, waiving the handling fee for the international Madrid application, and offering support until their registrations are successfully processed.

Both organizations also aim to facilitate the commercialization of local innovations and technologies to drive economic development.

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