The Intellectual Property of the Philippines issued Memorandum Circular No. 17-010 on July 1, 2017 which shall take effect on 1 August 2017, after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation. Under the previous Rules, an applicant or registrant is required…

Which party has a right to the trademark registration of SAKURA? Will the registration of SAKURA for goods in class 7 bar a subsequent trademark application of SAKURA for goods also in class 7? In its Decision dated 20 June 2017, the…

The copyright infringement case revolved around the question: “Is FSBPT required to present evidence that it is the owner of a copyright over the NPTE questions purportedly infringed?” Short answer: “YES The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), an organization…

The IPO Director of the Bureau of Legal Affairs, the IPO Director General, and the Court of Appeals unanimously rejected the petitioner’s application for the trademark LOLANE on account of its confusing similarity to respondent’s trademark ORLANE. Emphasis was made on LANE,…

Question: Will adding another letter to an existing trademark make a difference? NO, said the IPO Bureau of Legal Affairs. In its Decision No. 2017-299 dated 13 July 2017, the IPO Bureau of Legal Affairs denied the registration of the trademark “F…

Is the trademark PHILIPS confusingly similar to PHILITES? The Supreme Court said yes in a decision promulgated on 22 March 2017. The case started when Dy and/or Philites filed a trademark application for the mark “PHILITES” for the goods “fluorescent bulb, incandescent…

Beginning February 14, 2017 until February 14, 2018, Philippines start-up companies will get the chance to register their trademarks for free. Through the joint project of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, “JUANA MAKE…