Korea and the Philippines Move to Strengthen Intellectual Property Protection and AI Cooperation

According to The Financial News, the Ministry of Intellectual Property (MIP) stated on the 4th that it signed and exchanged a "memorandum of understanding on deepening cooperation in intellectual property" with the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines (DTI) on the afternoon of the 3rd (local time) at Malacañang Palace in Manila. The signing took place on the sidelines of the Korea–Philippines summit, in the presence of the two leaders.
This new MOU further expands both the scope and level of cooperation set out in the previous agreement signed in 2022 between the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). It is also the first such agreement since KIPO was elevated to the Ministry of Intellectual Property (MIP) in October last year.
Under the MOU, the two countries agreed to strengthen joint law enforcement against counterfeit goods, exchange intellectual property data, and improve intellectual property administrative services through the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Cooperation will be expanded mainly in the areas of intellectual property protection and enforcement, as well as AI.
On the afternoon of the 4th (local time), MIP Commissioner Kim Yong-sun will meet with Nathaniel Arevalo, head of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), to discuss concrete implementation of the MOU and ways for Korea to participate in the ASEAN Network of Intellectual Property Enforcement Experts (ANIEE), for which the Philippines currently serves as chair. Kim will then hold a ministerial-level meeting on intellectual property with Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque, head of the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines (DTI), to exchange views on strengthening bilateral cooperation in intellectual property. In particular, he plans to ask the Philippines, as this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to play a leading role in expanding Korea–ASEAN intellectual property cooperation.
Commissioner Kim said, "This MOU, exchanged on the 77th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Philippines, will serve as a turning point for expanding our intellectual property cooperation in a future-oriented way." He added, "Building on the friendship and trust between our two countries, we will further strengthen intellectual property protection and thereby support the expansion of exports by Korean companies."
kwj5797@fnnews.com Reporter Kim Won-jun Reporter