Annual Technical Report on Industrial Design Information Activities in 2024 submitted by Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines


I. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired:

The landscape for industrial design (ID) in the Philippines has seen remarkable growth and dynamism, fueled by the country's burgeoning creative economy. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has been instrumental in championing the importance of ID rights as a crucial tool for designers, artisans, and businesses. A significant surge in ID application filings in the past year is a clear indicator of a growing awareness and appreciation for protecting the aesthetic and ornamental characteristics of products. This trend underscores a strategic shift where creators and entrepreneurs are increasingly leveraging ID registration to gain a competitive edge, enhance product value, and protect their creative works from imitation.


New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies(plans) mentioned above, short description:  aims, partners, tasks

IPOPHL has initiated and promoted several projects specifically beneficial to the design sector:

  1. Juana Design Program: This flagship initiative is designed to empower and incentivize women creators by providing financial assistance and technical support for filing their industrial designs. It directly addresses the gender gap in the IP system and encourages more women to protect their creative output.
  2. Youth Intellectual Property Incentive (YIPI) Program: Aimed at the next generation of creators, this program offers incentives to students and young designers, making it easier for them to file for ID protection for their innovative projects and school-based work.
  3. Greentech Incentive Program: This initiative aims to stimulate ingenuity and accelerate the transition toward a sustainable future by encouraging inventors, researchers, and businesses to pursue patent protection for their groundbreaking green inventions.
  4. Partnerships with Design Institutions: IPOPHL actively collaborates with design schools, creative hubs, and industry associations to conduct workshops on the strategic use of ID rights and to integrate IP education into design curricula.


  • Statistics:  changes in terms of application filings and grants (registrations) with respect to previous year;  trends or areas experiencing rapid changes

The year 2024 was a banner year for industrial design filings and registrations, demonstrating strong growth and a significant increase in local participation. The ID filings surged by 33%, rising to 1,976 applications in 2024 from 1,488 in the previous year. The registrations also increased by 11% to 1,482 from 1,337 from the previous year. This increase was overwhelmingly driven by local creators, with resident filings jumping by an impressive 30%. Filipino designers now account for a majority (55.7%) of all ID filings. The leading Locarno class for ID filings were means of transport or hoisting, followed by furnishing, packages and containers, lighting apparatus, and recording and communication equipment.


Industrial Design Statistics:

Industrial Design Filings

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Growth (2023 vs 2024)

Resident

646

648

562

834

1,081

30%

Non-Resident

618

617

679

654

895

37%

Total

1,264

1,265

1,241

1,488

1,976

33%


Industrial Design Registrations

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2023 vs 2024

Resident

369

404

403

567

656

16%

Non-Resident

478

700

531

770

826

7%

Total

847

1,104

934

1,337

1,482

11%


Useful Links:

II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired:

  • Information and support provided by the Office to applicants regarding filing on paper and/or e-filing (instructions, seminars, etc.) – URLs


  • Classification and reclassification activities;  classification system used, e.g., International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification), other classification

Classification system used is Locarno. The IPOPHL also sends soft copy of Office Actions/Communications to ID applicants online through online (ECORR) facility. This will enable the applicants or their representative to receive Office Actions in their respective registered email addresses in order to expedite the drafting of responses for speedy registration process. Electronic certificates are now being issued for registered IDs since March 2022. 


  • Other activities

For online filing:  https://onlineservices.ipophil.gov.ph/eIDFile/

For submission of responses and payments: https://onlineservices.ipophil.gov.ph/eDocFilePatents/eDocFilePatents.aspx

URL for Search using WIPO Publish: https://www.wipo.int/search/en

III. SOURCES OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired:

  • Main types of publications in the field of industrial design information, outline of the content (industrial design applications, design patents, registrations, etc.) and medium (on paper, on CDs, online – URLs)


Patents, Utility Model and Industrial Design publication medium (Online gazette): https://onlineservices.ipophil.gov.ph/patgazette/

Aside from WIPO Publish, Examiners and ID stakeholders may conduct prior design searches through the ff:

    • ASEAN DESIGNVIEW
    • GLOBAL DESIGN DATABASE-WIPO
    • J-PlatPat
    • AUSPAT
    • CIPO
    • DESIGNVIEW (OHIM)
    • Espacenet
    • Google / Google Patents
    • Online selling platforms and social networking sites.




  • Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) and services available to external users;  conditions of access (e.g., free of charge, subscription, etc.)
    • WIPO Publish – free of charge


  • Legal status information (kind of information, coverage, medium, etc.)

IV. ICT SUPPORT TO SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired:

  • Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office:  general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements

Intellectual Property Administration System (IPAS). The IPAS is a system developed by WIPO which serves as the core system in IP filing and applications. The IPOPHL currently uses version 3.1.1D and would benefit greatly from upgrading to the latest version available

    • The IPOPHL uses business intelligence and data analytics software to provide support for data driven decision making and better appreciate trends in application.
    • As with most offices, the IPOPHL uses Microsoft’s office suite to create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentation decks.
    • WIPO IPAS supports the end-to-end processing of patent applications
    • WIPO Publish supports the patent search tool for published applications
    • eGazette supports the publication of applications integrated to WIPO IPAS
    • eID supports the online filing of inventions and utility models applications integrated to WIPO IPAS
    • eDoc Patents supports the online filing of subsequent communication, e.g responses, requests, annual fees, etc.
    • eCorrespondence supports the electronic sending of communications/correspondence to applicants/filers/representatives
    • Internal Statistics supports the monitoring of information concerning examiner’s performance, number of filings/grants, etc.
    • eFull Doc Patents supports the preparation of final patent documents upon publication or grant of patent applications
    • eCertificate supports the issuance of electronic copy of Patent Certificate with a verifiable QR Code


  • Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office
    • Desktop, laptop computers
    • Smart phone and tablet computers
    • Printing equipment
    • Document scanners
    • Standard network infrastructure for internet connectivity


  • Internal databases:  coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources
    • IP Databases for Patents, UM, ID, Trademarks and Copyrights


  • Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file:  file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file
    • Search tools developed by WIPO


  • Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)
    • Software for Administration: NGAS Financials, FMS Fee Management System, etc.


V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION

Information on the following topics is desired:

  • Office’s library (if deals with industrial design information): equipment, collection management, network of libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign libraries

Conducted 61 patent-related training (basic, patent information search, patent drafting, paper B) for academic institutions (ITSOs and non-ITSOs), RDIs, MSMEs, startups, and relevant government agencies.

Establishment of patent libraries within ITSOs was included in the 2024 ITSO clustering guidelines. As reported, nine patent libraries were established.


  • Education and training:  training courses, e learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.

Capacity Building for IP Professionals - BOP examiners and officials regularly serve as resource speakers and facilitators for key learning programs such as the IPOPHL Summer School, and the Patent Attorneys Training Course (PATC). Through these programs, participants gain foundational and advanced understanding of the Philippine patent system (invention, utility models and industrial designs), including filing requirements, substantive examination procedures, patent search tools, and legal frameworks. These activities help build a pipeline of qualified patent professionals in the country.

VI.INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION

Information on the following topics is desired:

  • International exchange of industrial design information in machine-readable form (e.g., Official Gazettes)


International best practice sharing:

    • Primer for Patent Analytics for IP Offices, Singapore, June 2024
      • Introduction and Insights on Patent Analytics
      • Building Patent Analytics Capabilities in IP Offices
    • First Patent Analytics Community of Practice (CoP) Annual Symposium, Geneva, September 2024
    • Collaborative approach to patent analytics and the development of patent landscape report


  • Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to industrial design information
    • ASEAN Industrial Design Task Force (IDTF) meeting
    • 6th MEETING OF THE ASEAN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN TASK FORCE (IDTF) (21 April 2025)

VII. ACTIVITIES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WIPO STANDARDS CONCERNING INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION


VIII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS