AN official of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (Ipophl) on Friday called on Asean IP offices to aim for commercialization so that technological innovations are not wasted.
“We have to make sure that new technologies don’t end up in the graveyard of innovations,” Ipophl Deputy Director General Ann Claire Cabochan said at the 2nd Asean Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) Network Task Force Meeting held last week in Manila.
Hosted by the Ipophl in partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and support from the Japan Patent Office, the four-day meeting focused on strengthening regional cooperation to transform IP from simple protection into active commercialization.
“The Asean TISC Network will be more than just a formal structure. It will be an active, priority-driven and collaborative model, the first of its kind worldwide,” Cabochan pointed out.
As the chair of the year-long 2026 Asean Summit, the Philippines, through the Ipophl, is presiding over several initiatives in the Asean Intellectual Property Rights Action Plan (Aiprap) 2026-2030.
The plan is a five-year roadmap seeking to transform intellectual property from a legal tool into an engine of regional economic growth.
It will build an effective, enterprising, and inclusive IP ecosystem for ideas or inventions to be protected, valued, and turned into a profitable business across all member states composed of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
The plan has five main pillars:
– Stronger national laws to make it easier and more effective for each country to protect new technologies and creative works;
– Regional harmony which aligns IP rules across the region, so that businesses don’t have to navigate vastly different systems in each country;
– Commercialization (from idea to market) which will create hubs and specialized centers to help inventors actually sell their products and license their ideas;
– Tougher enforcement to build a culture of respect for IP rights and crack down on piracy and counterfeit goods;
– Inclusive growth to ensure that even small businesses (MSMEs) and developing nations in the region can benefit from the IP system.
The plan is part of the larger Asean Vision 2045 to make Southeast Asia a top-tier global innovation hub.
The Asean TISC Network is a subworking unit of the Asean Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC).
The TISCs, which WIPO established in 2009, are hubs that support innovators in creating, protecting and managing their IP rights.
These are hosted in private and public institutions such as patent offices, universities, research centers, science and technology parks, and chambers of commerce.
The Philippines has 103 Innovation and Technology Support Offices (ITSOs) — local version of TISCs — representing over 40 percent of the nearly 250 TISCs across Asean states.
The first Asean TISC Network Meeting was held on Feb. 28, 2025.