April 21, 2015

In a public gathering attended by various IP stakeholders, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center, announced on April 16, 2015 a recently forged cooperation, which gives parties in dispute over IP rights the option to refer their IP disputes to WIPO’s mediation services.

To formalize this cooperation, IPOPHIL and WIPO signed a Memorandum of Understanding back in May 2014.  Under the Memorandum, IPOPHIL and WIPO established a joint dispute resolution procedure to facilitate the mediation of IP cases pending before IPOPHIL.

Currently, Office Order No. 154, Series of 2010 requires the following types of disputes lodged before the Bureau of Legal Affairs (BLA) to undergo mediation: (1) administrative complaint; (2) inter partes cases; (3) disputes involving technology transfer payments; (4) disputes relating to the terms of a license involving the author’s rights to public performance or other communication of his work; (5) cases appealed to the Office of the Director General (ODG) from decisions of the Bureau of Legal Affairs (BLA) and the Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau (DITTB); and (6)  other cases which may be referred to mediation during the settlement period declared by the Director General.  These cases are referred to IPOPHIL’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Services (ADRS).  The mediation is presided by a mediator, who is jointly appointed by the parties.  The idea for ADRS is to provide a forum, where parties can discuss their issues, and work towards reaching an amicable resolution.

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February 13, 2015

The Philippine Intellectual Property Office (IPOPHIL) announced the names of the most active trademark and patent filers for the year 2014.  The rankings were based on data compiled by the IPOPHIL from tracking the number of filings made by law firms during the 2014 calendar year.  FEDERIS was ranked second in overall trademark filings, and was listed among the top twenty in patent filings.

The top filers were honored in a luncheon hosted by the Director General on December 15, 2014.  The luncheon was attended by government officials and guests and also by representatives of law firms and companies.  According to the Director General, data for trademark and patent filings show yearly increase, attesting to the integrity and reliability of the system that the IPOPHIL has placed while under his watch, and affirming great confidence that the filers have in the system.  He had only praises and appreciation for those who have placed their trust in the IPOPHIL, and by this, he referred to the law firms for being in the forefront of the IPOPHIL’s strong showing year in and year out. The event was the occasion to thank these lawyers and to recognize among them the most active user of the IP system in the country.

For FEDERIS, the event puts in the spotlight what it has always been in the area of IP practice: an unassuming, quiet firm, but with the fire and dedication of the biggest law firms in the country, and standing head-to-head with them when the statistics come in.

January 31, 2015

Federis & Associates is proud to be a Gold Sponsor of the International Trademark Association’s regional conference entitled Springtime for Trademarks in Japan. The conference will be held on March 26-27, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan.

According to INTA’s website, the conference will be an “intermediate-level educational event, will be conducted in both the Japanese and the English languages, and will be an ideal venue for trademark owners to meet with outside counsel and foreign associates. Attendees will be able to forge new business relationships with other participants from the region and interact with a number of government representatives.”

The conference is a good opportunity to bring together trademark professionals and high-level government officials from all over the world to discuss trademark topics that are important to Japanese brand owners and practitioners, with relevant perspectives provided by experts from the Asia-Pacific region. Participants can learn from experts who will discuss topics of interest to the trademark community, including the latest trademark developments and trends in the ASEAN countries. The firm’s support for this event strengthens its commitment and interest in bringing together experts, policy makers and professionals to engage in dialogue on important trademark issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region, in particular the South East Asia region which comprises the fastest growing economies in the world.

Visit INTA’s website for more information.

The IPO has posted a bulletin for comments on a proposal to amend certain provisions of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (IP Code). Entitled “An Act Amending Certain Provisions Of Republic Act No. 8293 Entitled (in turn entitled ‘An Act Prescribing The Intellectual Property Code And Establishing The Intellectual Property Office, Providing For Its Powers And Functions And For Other Purposes’)”, the IPO seeks to increase the power of the Bureau of Legal Affairs (BLA), which is the arm that hears complaint for violation of intellectual property rights. If approved, the Bureau will be fairly the equivalent of regular courts, which can execute its own decisions, order injunctions, and award damages. These proposed amendments give the BLA the ability to command law enforcement authorities to assist the BLA in enforcing its orders and decisions. The BLA’s hearing officers will be no different in power from judges of regular courts. And because the BLA will be singularly focused on intellectual property complaints, it will be on the same level as “special courts” designated by the Supreme Court to exclusively handle commercial law cases.