MANILA - Social media users who repost other people’s photos or artworks using without properly acknowledging the original photographer or artist, are violating intellectual property laws, the Philippines’ intellectual property regulator warned on Monday.

People should also refrain from posting the literary or artistic work of someone else and citing “CTTO” or “credits to the owner”, or other similar phrases like “Photo not mine”, etc, according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).

“Using CTTO does not excuse yung kumopya o gumamit noon. Dapat kukunin niya yung permiso bago niya ilalathala o gagamitin yung orihinal na content,” said IPOPHL director general Rowel Barba said.

IPOPHL also urged creators to protect their original and innovative works through copyrights.

“Patuloy po nating ingatan at protektahan ang ating intellectual property. Sa pag iikot po natin sa Pilipinas, sa webinars... Nakita natin na marami pa po lalo na sa creative sector. Andami nila-- may dancer, singer, photographer, may painter- andami. Karamihan sa kanila di nila alam ang karapatan nila,” Barba said.

Besides copyrights for creators, IPOPHL also urged Filipinos to file patents for their inventions.

Patents are “an exclusive right that allows the inventor to exclude others from making, using, or selling the product of his invention during the life of the patent," IPOPHL explained.

Patent owners may also give permission to, or license, other parties to use their inventions on mutually agreed terms. Owners may also sell their invention rights to someone else, who then becomes the new owner of the patent.”

“Unfortunately, sa patents, 90 percent diyan foreign, only 10 percent local. So kailangan tuloy-tuloy ang pag-ano natin sa mga inventors to file for a patent application,” Barba said.

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The reasons behind the low patent applications are still being studied however the IPOPH has recently discovered some inventors sell their discoveries before they finish their patent applications.

“Karamihan diyan pinagbibili na. Pero later on ang mangyayari diyan baka ang bumili- sila ang mapo-protekahan, hindi yung gumawa,” IPOPHL deputy director general Teodoro Pascua said.

While it is also unclear if “lack of knowledge and patience” play a role in their decisions, Pascua urged inventors to pursue getting patents for their work first so they can license it to investors instead of selling it outright.

“Kung pinag bili mo na in toto, wala ka nang hold. Pero kung ikaw ang may- ari ng patent, ila- license mo nalang yan para ma- commercialize, mas marami ka pang kikitain. Pati yung honor yan mapupunta sa Pilipino, kesa sa nag- imebto ka tapos pinagbili mo na sa isang banyagang kumpanya, like medicines wala na sa atin yun,” Pascua said.

To help them, inventors can avail of programs available, including the Inventor Assistance Program.

“Ang sistema nito merong inventors who cannot really afford financially to prosecute.. medyo mahabang process 'yan ... ipo- provide ang inventor ng free legal assistance to be done by accredited lawyers ... by WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) and IPOPHL,”
IPOPHL deputy director general Nelson Laluces said.

Another is Young Inventors Program.

“'Yung mga youth inventors, may mga incentives na filing fees in order to encourage inventors to file patents for their inventions,” Laluces added.

There are also a total of 77 innovation and technology support offices in the country to help with the filing of patents.

“Hopefully madagdagan natin yan. And ginagawa pa natin sa kanila, we capacitate them. We help inventors, creators on patent drafting kasi yun ang pinaka-problematic sa mga invetors natin … dun palang, dun nabibinbin yung mga applications nila. If we capacitate them to prepare their applications, at least matutulugan na sila,” Barba said.

IPOPHL hopes to push amendments to the IP Code in the next Congress.

“It has passed the committee level sa House ... unfortunately 'di na umabot sa plenary, natabunan ng mga malalaking economic bills. Sa next Congress maghahanap ulit kami ng bagong sponsor, it has to be refiled. Sa Senate din, it has to be refiled,” Barba said.

IPOPHL also plans to continue reaching out to “bring IP to the grassroots."

“Sinabi ko nga sa opisina namin… wag na natin sila hintayin na pumunta sa ating opisina, tayo ang pumunta sa laylayan, sa baba, sa mga barangay para malaman nila, o maintindihan nila kung ano ang intellectual property, o yamang isip,” Barba said.

Currently, the IPOPHL receives more trademark applications than patents.

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