The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have announced an expanded partnership, pledging to bring intellectual property awareness and support to at least 500,000 Filipino entrepreneurs, and stating that they will explore ways to strengthen intellectual property protection in e-commerce, including potential collaboration with online platforms to help merchants better protect their brands online. According to IPOPHL's release, the initiative forms part of a new co-operation framework that will draw on existing and potential partnerships with business associations, chambers of commerce, professional networks and other local institutions to bring practical assistance closer to Filipino micro, small and medium enterprises, helping them to protect their brands, manage their intangible assets and pursue international markets.
In a notice published on 1 October 2026, WIPO confirmed that, during a 4-day visit to the Philippines, Director General Daren Tang launched, in collaboration with IPOPHL, a project to scale the reach of intellectual property services to 500,000 entrepreneurs through a partnership model, and met IPOPHL Director General Teodoro Pascua.
It should be noted that collaboration with online platforms is so far only a direction to be explored: no specific platforms, timetable or rules have been published, so this is not a new rule imposing mandatory liability on platforms but a policy signal for intellectual property governance in Philippine e-commerce.
The Philippines already has a basis of voluntary co-operation: since March 2021 IPOPHL has promoted an e-commerce memorandum of understanding between brand owners and platforms that sets up a voluntary notice and takedown mechanism.
J&C recommends that brand owners selling on e-commerce platforms in the Philippines, or planning to enter that market, secure the basis of their rights first: obtain trade mark registration in the Philippines through IPOPHL or the Madrid System and keep the owner details consistent with their brand registry on the platforms; for counterfeit listings, rely for now on each platform's existing complaint channel and on the voluntary notice and takedown mechanism already in place; and follow whether specific arrangements with platforms are published.
Source: www.ipophil.gov.ph | www.wipo.int | www.ipophil.gov.ph
