The Philippines

Rouse works closely with local law firm Baranda & Associates, which handles all work on the ground. Together, our highly experienced IP consultants work with clients to develop and implement IP strategies that are aligned with, and support business goals. The local team handles different types of IP litigation, principally administrative IP cases at the BLA and civil court, working closely with the Philippines National Police, the National Bureau of Investigations and Department of Justice (State Prosecutors) and the Bureau of Customs.

United by common ideals and shared values, fifteen accomplished individuals founded Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia in 2013. Since then, fifteen new partners have risen to the challenge of leading the firm into the next generation. This partnership of seasoned practitioners is forged on a commitment to build a lasting legal institution that will carry on the values of professionalism, meritocracy, and mutual respect.

The firm is led by Avelino “Nonong” J. Cruz, Jr., Simeon “Sonny” V. Marcelo, and Joe Nathan P. Tenefrancia. Cruz previously served as the nation’s Secretary of National Defense and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, while Marcelo defended the public interest as the Ombudsman and Solicitor General. Tenefrancia represents the next generation of partners who will continue the legacy of professionalism and excellence.

The firm’s lawyers are highly regarded individuals whose counsel is sought by leaders of the nation, captains of industry, and the common person. With highly motivated lawyers working in teams and ably supported by the country’s best non-legal personnel, we bring together our collective expertise, skills, experience and networks to practice law as one firm. With committed advocacy and wise counsel as hallmarks of our practice, we are our clients’ reliable partners in achieving winning solutions. Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia provides exceptional legal representation in various fields of law as a fullservice firm.

Our core partnership values translate into our governance principles and are integral to ensuring that we provide our clients with top-notch, cost-effective legal services while emphasizing teamwork, creativity, and responsiveness.

Our IP lawyers are best known for their ability to provide excellent and effective legal services covering:

• Prosecution of applications for the registration of trademarks and patents (inventions, utility models, industrial designs) and applications for issuance of certificates of copyright deposit and registration;
• Protection of business models, trade secrets and undisclosed information;
• IP commercialization, providing comprehensive legal and business-oriented strategies in negotiating agreements for licensing and franchising;
• Domain name registration and dispute resolution;
• Registration of technology transfer agreements;
• Conduct of IP due diligence and audit of IP assets;
• Registration of food, cosmetics and drugs;
• Handling administrative, civil and criminal cases on infringement of copyright, patent and trademark; unfair competition; dispute settlement and mediation involving IP rights; and
• Anti-piracy programs and IP enforcement cases.

Network Memberships:
INTA, ECTA, AIPPI, LESI, AIPA, IR Global, Marques

Last updated 29th August 2018 

The global business community is more interconnected than ever before. Opportunities and risks cross multiple markets, sectors and areas of law, requiring an integrated, connected approach to achieving business goals while mitigating risk.

Digital transformation is no longer a singular project but an ongoing necessity. Supply chain disruption is a constant threat. Beyond the completion of a transaction, deal value is realized only through successful integration. Workforces are redesigned, changing how and where we do our jobs. Business leaders are seeking growth that is both sustainable — and inclusive.

Quisumbing Torres delivers holistic solutions to interconnected challenges.

We work collaboratively with our clients, providing the appropriate perspective to inform decision-making while managing risk. We assist business leaders in gaining access to untapped opportunities.

Clients benefit from insight and foresight from our seasoned legal team of more than 60 Philippine lawyers working together across practice areas, industry sectors and geographic borders as a member firm of Baker & McKenzie International, a Swiss Verein, for six decades.

IP boutique firm Cerilles & Fernan Intellectual Property Law (CFIP Law) has Mario Cerilles and Harry Fernan at its helm. It counts independent investors and creators in the Philippines amongst its client base but predominantly acts for both local and multinational corporations. The team has been active in prosecution work involving patents, copyrights and trademarks in global contexts which is Fernan’s area of particular expertise alongside handling data privacy issues. The team collaborates with international firms in order to enforce its clients’ IP rights. Notably, Cerilles is dual-qualified to practice in the both the Philippines and the state of New York.

Federis & Associates (FEDERIS) is a boutique firm law based in the Philippines, one of just a handful in the country whose practice is focused exclusively on intellectual property law. FEDERIS is proof that in IP, size truly does not matter. Focus and expertise are what get results. This small firm packs the punch of a much bigger one: it consistently ranks as one of the top trademark and patent filers in the country and has scored big wins for household-name brands before the Intellectual Property Office and the Supreme Court.

A culture of service is deeply ingrained in everyone on the small but more than capable team, which includes highly-qualified attorneys, seasoned paralegals, licensed engineers and agents, and dedicated administrative staff. They work closely with clients to come up with creative, tailor-made solutions that are implemented simply and seamlessly. Drawing upon their vast knowledge and extensive experience in different areas of IP, they skillfully guide clients through the intricacies of local practice. At FEDERIS, relationships with clients are carefully nurtured through regular communication and rapid action to ensure that expectations are not only met, but surpassed.

Now more than ever, IP is an ever-evolving field, and FEDERIS bravely evolves along with it. The firm meticulously tracks new developments, both domestic and international, quickly complies with new regulations and legislation, and promptly adopts new practices. Businesses must constantly innovate in order to succeed in today’s quickly changing landscape. They should be able to do this freely, without getting entangled in red tape or stifled by the prospect of litigation. With FEDERIS, they are assured that the firm appreciates the value of their creative work, understands the need to protect their intellectual property, and anticipates the challenges of execution. The firm can be counted to produce quality work that matches the quality of their clients’ ideas.

FEDERIS’ track record speaks for itself. Both the firm and its managing partner, Mila Federis, have been recognized by industry peers for consistently delivering. A small firm with a big heart, FEDERIS gives back to the community by providing legal aid and financial support to various charitable causes.

Network memberships

• Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines (IPAP)
• Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA)
• ASEAN Intellectual Property Association (AIPA)
• Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle (AIPPI)
• International Trademark Association (INTA)
• Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO)
• Pharmaceutical Trademarks Group (PTMG)
• Association of European Trademark Owners (MARQUES)
• American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)

Last updated 30th April 2018

The HECHANOVA Group, comprising of four companies, serves the IP requirements of owners and users interested to protect their IP rights in the Philippines.  

HECHANOVA & CO., INC., member of the HECHANOVA Group is an IP consulting firm handling patent and trademark prosecution, copyright, domain name, plant variety, product registrations, all types of searches, freedom to operate searches, patent drafting, maintenance services for patents and trademarks, valuation services for trademarks and food technologies, advising on labeling, product registration requirements of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), plant variety registration, advising on advertising materials and registration with the Department of Trade and Industries (DTI),  consulting on IP creation and protection, and other non-contentious IP services. 

Founded on Dec. 12, 2005 by lawyer Editha R. Hechanova, together with four (4) friends and siblings: chemist Fe Belen Bello, certified public accountant Noemi P. Rivera, economist Brenda P. Rivera, and banker Carmelita Puno, the company has now grown to twenty-eight (28) professionals and support staff. The legal, business, technical and management experience of the professionals comprising the Company, coupled with in-depth knowledge of relevant local, regional and international laws and IP practices allows it to understand and give better advise.  True to its slogan of “passion for service, service with integrity”, it has established itself as a reliable IP service provider and has been awarded by the IPOPHL as Top Patent Filer (rank #2) for the years 2010-2014, and Top Trademark Filer (within top 20) for the years 2010-2014 by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines,  during the thanksgiving ceremonies of then Director General Ricardo Blancaflor whose term was expiring on Dec. 31, 2014. HECHANOVA & CO., INC. continues to maintain this status, according to information from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines IPPHL). 

Recent noteworthy engagements include contract awards for patent services for the Technology Application and Promotion Institute (TAPI), the government agency under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and valuation services for food handling inventions.  TAPI is the implementing agency for the IPR Assistance program assisting Filipino inventors and researchers.  President/CEO Editha has just been elected as 2017-2018 President of the Association for PAQE Passers, Inc., an association of professionals who have passed the Patent Agent Qualifying Examination conducted by the IPPHL and, among other activities, conducts training workshops for candidates for the PAQE in cooperation with the IPPHL.

HECHANOVA BUGAY VILCHEZ & ANDAYA-RACADIO law firm, a member of the HECHANOVA Group, was established in January, 2006 By Editha Hechanova, an intellectual property lawyer, Rodinil D. Bugay, a corporate and estate planning law practitioner, and Maria Gladys C. Vilchez, former hearing officer of the IPPHL, all with over 15 years of experience in their various fields then.  The firm was joined by Yasmin A. Andaya-Racadio on March, 2014, a taxation expert, formerly with SGV & Co., to strengthen the firm’s tax practice.  The expertise of the partners all complement the practice of intellectual property law, particularly in the area of joint ventures when the investments involve IP assets and the tax implications of the different organization structures being considered, the integrity of the subject IP assets, and the nature of said IP assets.

On the practice of intellectual property law, the law firm actively conducts border control measures, oppositions and cancellations, actions for infringement, unfair competition and other IP violations;  enforcements, licensing, due diligence, other IP contentious matters, tax issues related to IP;  mediation and arbitration.  The law firm has been ranked a top tiered firm in the fields of intellectual property law by leading publications such as MIP, Asia IP, WITR, Legal 500, Asialaw. Founder Editha Hechanova has been cited by  AsiaLaw as leading lawyer in IP in the Philippines from 2002-2017, ASIA IP Expert from 2013-2017, IP Star 2014- 2017, Who’s Who Legal from 2010 to present.  Some major enforcement activities conducted in 2016 include:  (i) raid of 14 establishments selling fake and/or colorable imitations of Alpargatas SA (Brazil) products, valued at about US$245,000.  Informations (complaints) have been filed with the relevant regional trial courts, (ii) raid of 3 stores/warehouses selling fake products of a Japanese company valued at about US$200,000, with ongoing preliminary investigations, (iii) assistance to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on raids involving goods the duties and taxes on which have not been paid, and suspected to be counterfeits, and assistance to the BOC also in the matter of participating in product identification workshops for the training of customs examiners and other government agencies involved in anti-counterfeiting activities.  The firm has also conducted in 2017,   IP diligence audit of a Philippine company for possible joint venture in the logistics business with IPR’s valued at about US$2.0 million; advising, preparation or review of various licensing agreements between foreign investors and domestic partners. 

The firm believes that lawyering is not just a profession but a way of life where opportunities to practice the core values of leadership, innovation, relationship and integrity is boundless. 

For the HECHANOVA Group, the principle of “passion for service… service with integrity” is paramount.

V&A Law’s intellectual property practice covers the full spectrum of intellectual property rights, as well as adjacent issues related to advertising and media, Food and Drug Administration regulation and compliance, domain names, border control, and licensing, franchising, and commercialization. V&A Law provides multifaceted and comprehensive legal services tailor-fit to the client’s specific needs and objectives.

V&A Law is known for its speed, accuracy, and efficiency in IP prosecution, which stems from its highly systematic and team-based process. Its exceptional Patent Team comprised of lawyers with diverse technical backgrounds in medicine, molecular biology, physics, chemistry, and materials science, enables the Firm to competently draft patent specifications and to effectively respond to substantive examination objections in house.

V&A Law also boasts of a highly competent IP Litigation Team with an excellent track record for high profile cases before both regular courts and administrative bodies. V&A Law ensures that the nuances of intellectual property cases are specifically addressed, resulting not only in big ticket wins, but also in creating important judicial precedents in the field of intellectual property in the Philippines. V&A Law successfully argued at the Supreme Court level for the indictment of the officers and stockholders of corporations for IP rights violations in relation to the illegal refilling activities of Petron Corporation’s liquefied petroleum gas cylinders – a reversal of previous decisions allowing individual officers to escape liability through the use of the corporate veil. 

V&A Law’s strong partnerships and collaborations with experienced law firms around the world provide an excellent and trusted network for its clients’ intellectual property needs across multiple jurisdictions.