Pursuant to Bureau of Patents Memorandum Circular No. 2022-001, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) shall now issue Electronic Certificates, known as “Patent eCert”, for Patent, Utility Model, and Industrial Design Applications that were recommended for registration starting 01 March 2022. Applications that have been recommended for registration before 01 March 2022 will still be issued the usual paper certificates from the IPOPHIL.
The Patent eCert will be sent to the registered mail address(es) of the applicant or agent on record through the IPOPHL’s eCorrespondence (eCorr) system. Each issued Patent eCert will bear a Quick Response (QR) Code and the digital certification of the Approving Authority to confirm the veracity of the document, and a link to the full text of the patent document.
The adoption of the Patent eCert is an important development in the IPOPHL’s transition to the complete digitization of the patent, utility model, and industrial design application and registration process. It aims to facilitate the: timely issuance of Letters Patent Certificate (or Certificate for Registration for Utility Model and Industrial Design); prompt inclusion of patent documents to the IPOPHL Patent Search database; and access to patent documents for use in licensing agreements, commercialization, technological advancement, patent mining and other legal purposes.