The Philippines has quietly pulled off a big leap on the global innovation stage — and the business world should take notice. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has rocketed to third place in the World Trademark Review’s (WTR) 2026 IP Office Innovation Ranking, jumping from 13th in the previous edition and outperforming many far larger economies.
IPOPHL now shares third place with the IP offices of Benelux, Japan and Thailand, trailing only the European Union and the United Kingdom at the top spot, and Australia, South Korea and Singapore in second. For context, the ranking evaluates more than 40 jurisdictions worldwide, making the Philippine rise not just impressive, but exceptional.
Regionally, the achievement is even more striking. IPOPHL placed second in both Asia and ASEAN, with only six Asian offices and three ASEAN offices making it into the global top 20.
This positions the Philippines as a serious player in the innovation and intellectual property ecosystem — a critical signal for investors, startups and multinational firms alike.
According to Acting Director General Nathaniel S. Arevalo, the surge reflects years of sustained modernization. IPOPHL has rolled out end-to-end online systems, digital filing and search platforms, and internal tools that have boosted examination quality while cutting turnaround times.
Continuous upskilling of examiners and staff has enabled the agency to keep pace with fast-moving technologies and new business models.
WTR’s ranking goes beyond basic IP registration, measuring how offices deliver value through digital infrastructure, dispute resolution, SME support, enforcement collaboration and public engagement. For 2026, the ranking also sharpened its focus on artificial intelligence — both tools available to the public and AI used internally.
IPOPHL is now integrating AI into search, examination, classification and appeals, while refining rules on AI-related inventions and assessing their copyright implications.
As Arevalo puts it, the goal is clear: a Philippine IP system that is efficient, adaptive and future-ready — and now, globally recognized.
