From March 22-26, 2021, the Ateneo Intellectual Property Office (AIPO) celebrated Intellectual Property (IP) Week. This was a week full of webinars for budding entrepreneurs, start-up founders, inventors, researchers, students, and faculty both inside and outside of the Ateneo. The celebration was part of a mission of “Safeguarding intellectual properties by providing education to the creators, evaluating different intellectual properties for protection, and promoting awareness of Intellectual Property Rights.”
The theme of the Ateneo Intellectual Property Week 2021 was “Demystifying Intellectual Property”. This was also inspired by the World Intellectual Property Day 2021 themed “IP and SMEs: Taking Your Ideas to Market”. This is why the celebration aimed to demystify IP for entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs by providing clear explanations on IP-related concepts and giving practical tips on protecting their IPs as they explore local and international markets.
Due to constraints brought by the pandemic, the IP week was celebrated virtually but despite this, it allowed to bring the IP awareness campaign to more participants from different organizations, locations, and institutions. The celebration was composed of the following webinars:
March 22 - “Demystifying IP: Emphasis on Trademarks and Copyrights”
March 23 - “Demystifying IP: The Practical Aspects”
March 24 - “Demystifying IP: Brand Selection”
March 26 - “Demystifying IP: Emphasis on Patents and Copyrights”
The 1st event held on March 22, 2021, “Demystifying IP: Emphasis on Trademarks and Copyrights” was presented by Atty. Aileen V. Sicat, Head of Protection and Education Group (PEG) in AIPO, and Mr. Bryan E. Erfe, Business Development Officer of Commercialization and Business Incubation Group (CBIG), also in AIPO. This webinar was attended by 178 participants, mostly students, researchers, faculty, and as well as entrepreneurs. The participants got the chance to learn basic of IP codes of the Philippines; benefits of registering one’s trademark; information on when should one consider filing for IP; how to apply for trademarks and copyrights; and because most of the participants were students, the Ateneo IP Policy on copyrights was also discussed. Based on the evaluation, the participants mentioned that the learnings from this webinar will definitely be useful and applicable to them.
The 2nd event was “Demystifying IP: The Practical Aspects”, this webinar is in partnership with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and was presented by Dr. Jon Fernandez, Director of AIPO. The event was attended by 80 participants from the PCCI members and officials. Most of the members were entrepreneurs and startup founders. Also present were the Directors of PCCI and IPOPHL. The topics covered in the webinar were the following: The different types of IP; when should one consider filing (or not filing) for IP Protection; how much (est.) time and money are needed to register for trademarks, copyrights, patents, etc.; and other practical tips for protecting and commercializing one’s IP.
Image retrieved from PCCI Facebook Page
The 3rd event was on March 24, “Demystifying IP: Brand Selection” and was presented by Ms. Maria Teresa D. Villanueva (Ms. Matec), the Director of Ateneo University of Marketing and Communications Office. The webinar was attended by 125 participants, mostly entrepreneurs from different organizations and some participants were students and faculty. The knowledge and information gained by the participants were the importance and value of branding; some success stories in branding; and some tips as to the basic do’s and don'ts when selecting a brand.
The 4th event was on March 26, “Demystifying IP: Emphasis on Patents and Copyrights” and it was presented by Ms. Vanessa E. Malapit, Research Officer of PEG - AIPO, and Mr. Bryan E. Erfe, Business Development Officer of CBIG-AIPO. The event was attended by 75 participants of students, researchers, and faculty. The focus of discussion here was about the following: basic of IP codes of the Philippines; benefits of registering one’s invention and copyrighted work; when should one consider filing for IP; how to apply for patents and copyrights; and as well as a quick introduction to the Ateneo IP Policy on copyrights.
A lot of work is often required to come up with a unique and useful idea such as invention, product, mark, and even the company brand. That is why the celebration of IP Week was a good reminder to recognize and appreciate the value of protecting one’s Intellectual Property assets.