The Philippine Fashion Coalition (PFC) and the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), through the Center for Intellectual Property Management – Innovation and Technology Support Office (CIPM-ITSO), sealed a partnership to protect the Intellectual Property (IP) rights of Filipino fashion creatives.

The PFC is the first non-stock, non-profit Philippine Business Support Organization representing the fashion industry. It has worked with the Senate and the House of Representatives on different Creative Industries Development and related Design Laws, including the now-passed Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, which focuses on growing and safeguarding the IP of Filipino creatives.

Benilde CIPM is an Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL)-accredited office that administers the Benilde IP Rights Policy. It manages all IP created in and through the institution and supports its students, faculty, associates, and alumni in understanding, managing, and protecting their respective rights.

It likewise designs and facilitates capacity-building programs for internal and external customers and delivers affordable, localized access to patent information, protection for valuable inventions, and assistance.

The collaboration was formalized through the signing of a Partnership Agreement between PFC President Jackie C. Aquino, Policy Committee Chairperson Maria Esmeralda Palaganas, and Benilde President Br. Edmundo L. Fernandez, FSC and IP Director, and ITSO Manager, Atty. Ma. Janice R. Tejano. Benilde IP Specialist Mylene Gutierrez and PFC Chairman Maria Teresa Cruz Evangelista served as witnesses.

Through their mutual pursuit, CIPM-ITSO and PFC will further champion their advocacy to raise IP awareness and best practices by co-organizing the development of an IP foundation course as well as a series of specialized certificate training and seminars facilitated by CIPM-ITSO and its network of IP experts and practitioners.

The programs will impart fundamentals that are relevant to the industry.

It will guide all the members of the creative sector in fashion on the significance of tools such as copyrights, trademarks, and design patents as key elements in safeguarding and enhancing the value of their creative works. It will likewise teach its significance in branding strategies for commercial success and broader market reach.

It will also cover issues and licensing approaches in the local and global context, as well as topics on rights enforcement and anti-counterfeiting measures.

Through the collaboration, the CIPM-ITSO will guide PFC stakeholders to identify, register, and protect their trademarks, copyrights, and designs. They will also provide legal IP services for the protection and management of their IP.

It will likewise cover support and assistance in research initiatives and policy development for the promotion, progress, and protection of IP in the fashion industry, to include the textile sector. This includes access to international training and a network for grants and funding. Commercialization and technology transfer transactions are likewise included.