In a case decided in March 2012, Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi-Adventis, successfully opposed the registration of COMAXIN in Class 5 by Getz Bros Philippines, Inc. based on the mark’s confusing similarity to the opponent’s mark COMBAXIM. In deciding the opposition, the Bureau of Legal Affairs (BLA) of the Intellectual Property Office of […]
Publications
Philippines - Madrid Protocol Comes into Force July 25
The Philippines has become the 85th contracting party - and the third ASEAN member state after Singapore and Vietnam to join the Madrid Protocol. Philippines President Benigno C. Aquino III signed the instrument of accession on March 27, 2012; it was deposited with the World Intellectual Property Organization on April 25, 2012. The Intellectual Property […]
Philippines - Joins Patent Prosecution Highway
On 9 February 2012, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) signed its first-ever Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Agreement with Japan Patent Office (JPO) Commissioner Yoshiyuki Iwai. The landmark PPH Agreement between IPOPHL and JPO and will commence on March 12, 2012. It was reported that IPOPHL is the latest IP office to join […]
New Rules In The Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines announced new Rules of Procedure for IP rights cases on October 18 2011. The Rules took effect on 8 November 2011 and govern new and pending civil and criminal actions for IPR violations lodged before the Special Commercial Courts designated by the Supreme Court. The Rules aim to eliminate […]
Jail For Lady Counterfeiter In Manila
There are rare occasions by which a criminal case is filed for violation of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 8293). But in those rare occasions, the Philippine courts do not hesitate to sink their teeth in deeply and put the counterfeiter behind bars. After more than a decade of legal […]
Philippines - WIPO Panel Resolves “Sulit” Domain Name Issue
On August 19, 2011, in what is considered a landmark case in local cyberspace history, the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center handed down a decision involving the disputed domain name www.sulit.ph, registered with DotPH Register. Netrepreneur Connections Enterprises Inc. v. Anton Sheker, Seo.Com.Ph, Case No. DPH 2011-0003. The complainant, Netrepreneur Connections Enterprises Inc., operates the […]
Efficient, Cost-Effective Patent Procurement In Southeast Asia
Global patent filing trends, especially in Southeast Asia, have been steadily on the rise, and anyone who has been involved with the preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of patents around the world will readily agree that global patenting is a highly complicated and expensive undertaking requiring careful planning and serious considerations. Patenting a single invention […]
Philippines - IPOPHL Starts Accepting Copyright Applications
In January 2011, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) whereby IPOPHL and its Satellite Offices have been given the authority to accept the registration and deposit for copyrighted works. The registration process is simple. Only a formal examination of the […]
Philippines - Harvard Jeans or Harvard University : Which Name Rings A Bell…?
In 1988, FredCo secured a registration for HARVARD JEANS USA or goods in Class 25. It allegedly used the mark in the Philippines as early as 02 January 1982. On the other hand, in 1993 ,Harvard was issued registration for the trademark HARVARD VERITAS SHIELD SYMBOL in Classes 16, 18, 21, 25 and 28. Harvard […]
Philippines - Harvard University Knocks The Pants Off Local Company
One of the earliest laws in the Philippines involving trademark rights is Act No. 666 (Trademark and Trade Name Law of the Philippine Islands) which took effect on March 6, 1903. This system favoured actual use of a mark as the basis for registration. In 1946, while the Philippines was a territory of the United […]