THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said its Green Technology Incentive Program will offer reduced registration fees and accelerated approval for intellectual property (IP) that mitigates environmental impacts and conserves natural resources.

“IPOPHL hopes to make a contribution to encourage an innovation climate that doesn’t just consider the return of investment but also the costs of what we do to our environment and natural resources, especially when they cost jobs, incomes, homes, and lives,” IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said in a statement on Tuesday.

Starting this month, IPOPHL will start accepting applications for patents, utility models (UMs), and industrial designs (IDs) for such green technologies. The program will run until November 2025, subject to a quota of 30 inventions, 60 UMs, and 60 IDs.

“We will launch it and implement it for an initial one-year period; after one year, we will assess and (decide on an extension),” IPOPHL Assistant Director Cristina P. de Guzman said in a briefing on Tuesday.

Qualified applicants will be entitled to an application fee reduction of P6,600 and faster processing.

Approved applications for inventions may opt to avail of up to a P6,600 reduction in early public fees or up to a P4,200 reduction in substantive examination fees.

Meanwhile, UM and ID registrants can enjoy up to a P960 reduction in second publication fees.

According to Ms. De Guzman, applications for inventions have an average turnaround time of four years, while the average turnaround time for UMs and IDs is 12 months and 3 months, respectively.

“But under this program, you can save up to one year for the application period (for inventions), plus when the application goes through the substantive examination, it will be prioritized,” she said.

For UMs and IDs, she said assuming complete applications, a positive examination may be scheduled for as early as two months and five days, respectively.

“We just need to wait for the publication period of one month because that’s the law. We need to (subject) applications to possible opposition or adverse information,” she said.

“Right after that, we can issue the registration certificate,” she added.

IPOPHL Deputy Director General Ann Claire C. Cabochan said that the new incentive program aims to promote the development of green and sustainable technologies through the IP system.

“By encouraging the search for sustainable solutions, this program will ensure that the Philippines will be empowered to address issues related to climate change, food security, and the environment while also aiming for a low-carbon future,” Ms. Cabochan said.

“These issues are of paramount concern, given how climate change is impacting agriculture as well as our food security,” she added.

She said that IPOPHL believes that IP protection will encourage investors, startups, and business owners to come up with green and sustainable solutions that will address the challenges faced by the country. — Justine Irish D. Tabile