THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) had said that they will be providing patent services to the Brunei Darussalam IP Office (BruIPO).

The IPOPHL said that they will process a maximum of 200 applications a year over the next five years.

IPOPHL director general Rowel Barba said in a statement that the BruIPO is outsourcing patent services following the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in December last year.

“This is the first time another IP office has outsourced IPOPHL for a core service. This shows increased confidence in the efficiency of our processes and our tested and proven expertise in emerging technologies after over 76 years of conducting patent search and examination,” Barba said.

Likewise, Barba said that the IPOPHL is one of the fastest IP offices in Southeast Asia in terms of turnaround time for patent applications.

The IPOPHL is also the first in the region to establish a patent quality review system, which was given a high rating of compliance with international standards.