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Saturday, December 03, 2005
Guarding IP rights vital to business - IPO exec
By Intellectual property (IP) is the life of a business.
“Intellectual property, (be it a trademark, patent or copyright) is a vital source of your income because that’s how you produce your product. If your business depends on your product or mark and then somebody just copies it, it can cause a big loss,” Estrellita Beltran-Abelardo, head of the Bureau of Legal Affairs of the Intellectual Property Office, said.
Awareness
But while the country’s laws protecting intellectual property (IP) rights are better than other Asian countries, she said, there is lack of awareness on the issue.
“In terms of awareness, we are only better than Vietnam or at par with Indonesia,” she said in an interview.
Abelardo spoke during a forum yesterday on copyright and patent protection at the Casino Español de Cebu.
She said the forum was set to “enlighten” businessmen about the importance of protecting their intellectual properties by getting a patent, trademark or copyright.
Patent applies to the protection of one’s intellectual property right over a certain product. A trademark is used to protect ownership of a sign, mark or logo.
Few
Andrew Ong, Iprotect administrator and senior partner of Ong Bagay-Villamor and Fabiosa law firm, said only around 20 percent of businessmen in Cebu are aware of the need to protect their IP.
In 2003, he said there were about 5,500 trademark applications. Only 147 are from region 7, he said.
He said, though, that this is already a “big improvement” compared to the “close to zero” percent awareness in Cebu when the firm started the IP protection campaign in 1999.
Ong named Penshoppe, registered worldwide, and Island Souvenir as among the few trademarks of Cebu firms.
In a separate interview, Steven Kokseng, marketing manager of Harbour City Dimsum House Inc., agreed that a business draws strength from its name or brand.
“We want to protect it since we are planning to expand and put up restaurants nationwide in the next two years,” said Kokseng, who attended the forum.
Patents
He told Sun.Star Cebu that Harbour City has applied already for patents of their products.
Alfredo Ngosiok, owner of Ngosiok Marketing, acquired last year patents on the design and process of making the Super Q Golden Bihon.
Ngosiok said foreign competitors like Taiwanese manufacturers of noodles created a threat
to the business.
“And we had to do better and protect our products. Getting the patent is about dedication for your work and your effort,” he said.
He suggested that the implementation of the law on IP protection should be enforced efficiently.
“If not, what’s the use of patenting if others could still copy and go unpunished?” he added. (ALC)
(December 3, 2005 issue)
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