Guidelines on IP valuation and commercialization to be issued soon

Following a series of stakeholders’ consultations nationwide, the country’s first guidelines on intellectual property (IP) valuation, commercialization, and information sharing will soon be released.

Initiated by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the guidelines are intended to provide general guidance to government funding agencies (GFAs), research and development institutes (RDIs), as well as other stakeholders on IP commercialization, valuation, and information sharing.

The guidelines were drafted in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act 10055 or the Philippine Technology Transfer Act of 2009.

The law mandated DOST, together with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), to issue the necessary valuation guidelines. DOST then constituted a DOST-DTI-IPOPHL Drafting Committee in January to comply with the statute. In effect, the issuance of said document would complete the requirement under the law’s implementing rules and regulations.

On June 28, a Luzon-wide stakeholders’ consultation was held at the IPOPHL Headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, which was divided into two sessions, one for GFAs and RDIs, and another for the private sector.

Presenting the draft guidelines, DOST Undersecretary Fortunato T. dela Peña, chairman of the DOST-DTI-IPOPHL Drafting Committee, reiterated that the guidelines are not intended to “substitute, supersede, nor interfere with the the discretion of GFAs and RDIs, nor with the professional judgment of experts” when it comes to the disposal of their IPs or technologies.

He added that the guidelines encourages said entities to seek expert’s advise when ¨identifying, protecting, managing, valuing, and commercializing technology and/or IP generated from publicly funded R&D.

GFAs and RDIs from the public and the private sectors provided suggestions and comments on the draft guidelines.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) Socio-Economics Research Division Director Albert P. Aquino, a committee member, presented the milestones and salient provisions of R.A. 10055 and also served as moderator of the one-day consultation.

Separate consultations were also conducted in Davao and Cebu City on July 12 and 15, respectively.

The DOST-DTI-IPOPHL Drafting Committee is set to convene a final meeting sometime in August to finalize the guidelines. When approved, the DOST secretary will issue the said guidelines. Eduardo A. Genciagan, Jr., S&T Media Service