Property. The word is synonymous to asset and more often connotes wealth like real property. A status symbol - more properties would mean greater wealth be it of an individual or an institution. Another familiar form of property is personal property. A type of property that practically everyone possesses and more commonly referred to as ‘personal belongings’.

But there is another type of property considered sometimes greater if not equally important especially to individuals or institutions involved in creating ideas and putting them in written form and those that translate ideas into concrete objects. More aptly called intellectual property or simply IP, this kind of property can be protected through patenting and trademarking. When protected, the intellectual property is restricted in use by the owner. The owner then is said to have intellectual property rights (IPR) of the said created idea or product.

Intellectual property protection is generally obtained through a government agency and such protection is only available in countries where application is made and protection granted (Erbisch, 2000).

These were some of the concepts encountered during the two-day Seminar-Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights and Biotechnology held at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija organized by the PhilRice IP Management Office. This workshop which was attended by Dione Christian Baracol, BIC staff on 6-7 July was one of the highlights during the National Biotechnology Week (1-7 July 2005).

According to experts, intellectual property is increasingly gaining attention in the world of research particularly in the field of agricultural R&D. Some consider it a limiting aspect in development but others view it essential in encouraging research and development. In the advent of recent developments in agriculture particularly agribiotechnology, IP awareness and appreciation is ever increasing with issues lingering around copyright, patent, licensing, trademark and plant variety protection.

In the case of PhilRice, they find setting up an IP office essential. Atty. Ronilo Beronio, director of IP Management Office, narrated during the workshop how the institute came up with an IP office.

According to him, PhilRice went through difficult times such as dwindling R&D budget support from the national government and diminishing incentives for scientists and researchers, among others. The institute had to assess itself and eventually came up with an IP policy to protect its intellectual property to prevent misappropriation, allow them to share their developments to the public, and at the same time gain economically from their intellectual and creative talents. The said IP policy of the institute pushed the establishment of an IP office.

Frederic Erbisch, former director of Michigan State University’s Office of Intellectual Property says that protecting intellectual properties is making researchers more aware of the potential value of their work. Commercialization is the next step so that both developer and public would benefit. This is when the private or industry sector comes in which would also benefit from the development.

However, Mr. Erbisch says that research institutions and industry do not naturally work together in a harmonious manner. A number of steps must be taken to enable each of them to preserve their basic values and yet benefit from each other. Both parties have to put various agreements in place, to protect intellectual properties, and to adhere to each party’s terms and conditions as well as protection requirements.

For PhilRice, establishing an IP office brought about tangible benefits. Both researcher and institution gained in terms of monetary returns for their researches. Over the past three years, royalties have been collected and helped in addressing the issue of incentive for technologies developed by the researcher and institution.

After overcoming obstacles related to intellectual property protection, PhilRice decided to share its knowledge gained from their own experience. One recent milestone of the IP Management Office was the creation of an IPR training center with funding support from Department of Agriculture.

The training center “aims to cater to biotech-IP-related training needs of R&D institutions, state colleges and universities, and other relevant stakeholders in the agriculture and fisheries sectors of the country.” It has state-of-the-art mini amphitheater equipped with 30 computer workstations capable of high-speed internet access to facilitate patent searching for trainees.

Through the training center, other organizations can learn from PhilRice’s experience. Agriculture research organizations may then be encouraged to think about institutionalizing the concept of intellectual property rights and benefit not only the institution but also the industry and public alike. (DCABaracol)

References:

Erbisch, Frederich H., IPR in Southeast Asian Biotechnology, Proceedings of the Regional Conference on Agricultural Biotechnology, 30 June 2000.

Beronio Ronilo A., Establishing an IP Management Office: The PhilRice Experience, Seminar-Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights and Biotechnology, 6 July 2005.

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