The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is preparing an agency-wide artificial intelligence strategy aimed at guiding responsible innovation while improving efficiency across its patent, trademark, and copyright functions.
The plan was disclosed during IPOPHL’s year-end Stakeholders Forum held last week in Mandaluyong City, where officials acknowledged the growing impact of AI on intellectual property protection and administration.
Acting director general Nathaniel S. Arevalo said AI readiness is now a priority issue within the agency, noting that IPOPHL’s strategy will align with the government’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which sets the broader direction for AI regulation and adoption in the country.
As part of its initial preparations, IPOPHL’s Bureau of Patents and Bureau of Trademarks are exploring the use of AI-assisted tools to support examination processes, while the Bureau of Copyright and Related Rights is reviewing the legal and practical implications of AI-generated content on copyright protection and enforcement.
Officials said the review is particularly urgent given AI’s expanding role in creative production and its potential to challenge existing frameworks on authorship, originality, and rights ownership.
Beyond AI, IPOPHL also addressed stakeholder concerns on fee adjustments, documentary requirements, and refinements to digital processes, including email protocols and online verification systems.
The agency likewise discussed its enforcement efforts against counterfeiting and piracy, as well as initiatives aimed at supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises in protecting and commercializing their intellectual property.
The Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau cited ongoing capacity-building programs and inter-agency coordination, including collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology’s Technology Application and Promotion Institute, to help bring inventions to market.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Legal Affairs reiterated the availability of its Mediation Outside Litigation service as an alternative to court proceedings and outlined new rules designed to expedite cases involving intellectual property violations.
Stakeholders also raised feedback on the Patent and Trademark Agent Recognition Examinations, which IPOPHL said will be considered in future refinements.
