PH signs Riyadh Design Law Treaty

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The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) on Monday said the Philippines has signed up for a treaty that will make design protection easier, faster and more affordable both locally and abroad.

The government’s intellectual property (IP) rights body said that the Philippines, along with other member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), signed the Riyadh Design Law Treaty last Nov. 22 in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Together with WIPO Member States, the Philippines shares the common goal that designers should be able to protect their work more easily and be given the bigger opportunity to scale up globally,” IPOPHL director general Rowel Barba said in a statement.

“The goals of the Riyadh Design Law Treaty complement current efforts and long-term plans of the current administration in promoting and developing creative and innovative industries,” he also said.

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Additionally, Barba noted the importance of this measure for developing and middle-income countries like the Philippines.

He said its adoption will help the country to achieve its 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and economic targets under the Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028.

According to the IPOPHL, the treaty paves the way for a predictable and cost-efficient design application process by setting limits on application requirements.

Specifically, it sets minimal filing date requirements, a 12-month grace period for disclosures, a six-month option to keep designs unpublished from the filing date, and relief for missed deadlines.

Other benefits include simplified renewal procedures, as well as the promotion of e-filings and digital processes.

It also provides applicants flexibility by allowing multiple designs per filing and the representation of designs in various formats, whether drawings, photographs or videos.

IP registrations in the Philippines reached 49,832 in 2023, indicating a growth of 2.5 percent compared with the 48,600 recorded in 2022.