The delegates of the APEC-IPEG
Meeting led by the Chair Miguel Angel Margain of Mexico (seated at the center)
with Undersecretary Ferdinand Cui, Jr., Office of the SOM Vice-Chair,
Philippines (left of Chair) and Deputy Director General Allan B. Gepty of the
IPOPHL(right of Chair)
The
40th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Intellectual Property Rights
Experts' Group (IPEG) meeting-- the first of the two high-level meetings hosted
by the Philippines this year -- was successfully held from January 31 to
February 1, 2015 in Clark, Pampanga.
Facilitating
innovation and the exploitation of IP among small and medium-sized industries
(SMEs) to enhance their regional and global competitiveness was one of the most
discussed topics at the meeting. The Philippines welcomed this breakthrough as
the mounting interest in the topic complements its push to put the SME topic
higher on the APEC agenda.
“Enhancing
SME competitiveness through brand development, IP valuation and
commercialization is one of our priorities. We see that SMEs can leverage on
their IP assets such as their brands or trademarks for growth and expansion. APEC
provides a suitable platform for us to build on our programs through
cooperation and sharing of best practices with other APEC economies,” says
Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Deputy Director
General Allan B. Gepty.
The
two other priorities presented by the Philippines at the meeting are
strengthening capacity for effective IP enforcement and adjudication and the
facilitation of the effective use of patent information aimed at assisting
research institutions, academe, and SMEs.
The two-day
meeting has also strengthened the commitment of the APEC member economies for
continued collaboration and support in other areas of IP. These include management
and effective use of IPRs; capacity-building in promoting understanding and
appreciation of IP in the youth sector; facilitating technology transfer and IP
commercialization; and enhancing IP enforcement and adjudication.
“APEC-IPEG
has been devoted to delve with the most valuable initiatives and proposals that
have become endorsed projects on some of the most relevant topics on IP.The
ultimate mission of IPEG is to make the most of IPRs in the APEC region in the
sake, of building a better world,” says APEC-IPEG Chair Miguel Ángel Margáin
who is also the Director General of the Mexican Institute of the Industrial Property
(IMPI).
This statement
by the IPEG Chair sits well with the theme chosen by the Philippines for its
hosting year. Pushing for the promotion of inclusive growth in Asia Pacific,
the Philippines has adopted the theme “Building
Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World” and names four priorities, namely
(1) Enhancing the Regional Economic Integration Agenda, (2) Fostering small and
medium-sized enterprises SMEs’ Participation in Regional and Global Markets,
(3) Investing in Human Capital Development, and (4) Building Resilient and
Sustainable Communities.
The second
IPEG meeting in the Philippines is set for August in Cebu City.###
