DOST-FPRDI technologies get UM patents
October 03, 2016
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| The experimental wine barrels made from mangium wood. |
The Utility Model (UM) applications of eight new technologies of DOST-FPRDI were recently approved by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) Philippines.
“This means that the technologies, all related to making wine barrels from four wood species, can no longer be copied without the copier being punished by law,” says DOST-FPRDI’s Engr. Grecelda A. Eusebio.
“A UM,” according to IPO Phil, “refers to a patent for a new and useful but obvious improvement on a given technology.” The new UM patents covered four species of wood that can be used to make barrels for fermenting fruit wines – santol, mango, mangium, river red gum and the process for constructing the barrels for each.
Ms. Simplicia B. Katigbak who led the research team said, “Most of the country’s fruit wine makers currently depend on plastic and glass containers to age their products. Brew specialists, however, agree that the best wines are fermented using the imported, and therefore expensive, wood barrels from white oak (Quercus alba). Our findings showed that there are locally available substitutes to white oak.”
In this day and age when technology is advancing at breakneck speed, all commercially usable inventions need of patent protection.
According to IPR specialist Jared Nyagua, intellectual property protection is key to the competitive edge of business enterprises. It generates earnings for the IP owners while protecting their rights in competitive markets.
The DOST-FPRDI for eight years now has been filing IPR applications either with the National Library or the IPO, in keeping with the Department’s aim to secure all of its intellectual property. (Rizalina K. Araral, 21 September 2016)#
