BIZ BUZZ: IP office soars on world stage

Warts and all, it is not so often that a Philippine government agency finds itself counted among the world’s best.

That is why the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), being named the world’s third most innovative intellectual property (IP) office by the World Trademark Review, is a milestone worth noting.

The ranking marks a sharp rise for the IPOPHL, which ranked 9th place in 2022 and 13th and 2024.

In the 2026 IP Office Innovation Ranking, the IPOPHL tied with the IP offices of Benelux, Japan and Thailand. They trailed only the European Union and the United Kingdom, which shared first place, and Australia, South Korea and Singapore, which ranked second.

This also places the IPOPHL second in Asia and Southeast Asia, with only six Asian offices and three Southeast Asian offices making the global top 20.

“IPOPHL’s strong position in the global ranking reflects its long-term strategy of investing in end-to-end online systems, digital filing and search platforms, and internal tools that improve examination quality and turnaround times,” said IPOPHL acting Director General Nathaniel Arevalo.

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This year’s assessment placed greater emphasis on the use of artificial intelligence (AI)

Arevalo said the IPOPHL is working to integrate AI tools into search, examination, classification and appeals processes. In November, the office also issued guidelines to enhance patent examination quality and consistency, particularly for applications involving AI-related technologies.

World Trademark Review assessed more than 40 jurisdictions for the 2026 edition.