Q&A: PATENTS IN THE PHILIPPINES 13 January 2012 A guide to filing, protecting and defending patents in the Philippines by Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan 1. What are the procedures for filing patent applications in your jurisdiction? The Philippines follows the first-to-file rule. Upon receipt of a request form for the granting of a Philippine patent containing the…
PHILIPPINES REGISTERING AN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN IN THE PHILIPPINES 01 September 2004 The Intellectual Property Code has streamlined the procedures that inventors must follow to protect their industrial designs in the Philippines. Ignacio S Sapalo offers a step-by-step guide to would-be applicants The background: Republic Act 165 Because the Philippines was a US colony during the…
PHILIPPINES: THE PATENTABILITY PUZZLE 01 October 2006 Applying for a patent for computer software or business methods can create problems for IP owners and examiners alike. Ignacio S Sapalo and Neptali L Bulilan of Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan compare the rules in the US, Europe and the Philippines The patentability, or otherwise, of computer…
PHILIPPINES: SUPREME COURT OFFERS COPYRIGHT CLARIFICATION 01 October 2009 Augusto R Bundang and Anne Mariae Celeste V Jumadla of Sapalo Velez Bundang &Bulilan assess the implications of a recent Supreme Court copyright ruling The Philippine Supreme Court, through a decision of its third division promulgated on January 19 2009 in the case of ABS-CBN Broadcasting…
PHILIPPINES: PARALLEL PROBLEM 01 October 2007 There are a number of ways in which IP owners can tackle parallel imports in the Philippines. Ignacio S Sapalo of Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan outlines the options Regardless of where we live, in Asia, America and Europe, we find a large quantity and variety of goods that have been imported…
PHILIPPINES: INDIGENOUS NAMES, MARKS AND SYMBOLS 01 November 2010 Anne Mariae Celeste Jumadla of Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan Law Offices discusses ways to protect the IP of indigenous peoples In response to the need to protect the cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the country, the Philippine legislature enacted Republic Act (RA) 8371,…
PHILIPPINES: CHANGING THE LAW TO REDUCE COST OF MEDICINES September 1, 2008 Ignacio Sapalo and Anne Mariae Celeste Jumadla of Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan outline the development of a law protecting against monopoly. The pharmaceutical patents landscape in the Philippines is expected to change with the passing by the Senate and House of…
Pinoy seafarers victims of piracy deserve equal protection of law Through the initiative of the SVBB law firm, the Democratic Independent Workers’ Association (DIWA) party-list representative is asking the Congress’ House committee on overseas workers affairs to look into the recent sea piracy incidents involving Filipino seafarers. In House Resolution 1474, filed last July 13,…
Illegal Dismissal Benefits In case of illegal dismissal, how much is a seafarer entitled to receive from his employers? His salaries for the unexpired portion of his employment contract or his salaries for three (3) months for every year of the unexpired term, whichever is less? The recent ruling of the Supreme Court in the…
Does a ‘fit to work” assessment issued by a company-designated physician beyond the 120-day period from the time the seafarer was medically repatriated, bar the latter from securing permanent and total disability benefits? The recent ruling of the Supreme Court in the case of Antonio M. Serrano vs. Gallant Maritime Services, Inc. and Marlow Navigation…