29 July, 2015
Divina Ilas-Panganiban, partner in Quisumbing Torres’ Intellectual Property Practice Group, participated as a speaker at the IP Protection: More Than An Afterthought seminar held on 10 July at the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). The event, which is a collaboration between Thomson Reuters and IPOPHL, gave IP counsels, IP owners and brand managers an overview of the legal developments and trends on IP protection as well as insights on how successful companies protect their intellectual assets.
In her discussion on Legal Trends in Philippine IP transactions, Vina covered topics on how to maximize the value and ensure the success of an IP transaction. “There are millions of IP's that are registered, but only a few garner a high value. It is therefore important to manage your IP well to maximize its value," Vina explained. At the end of her discussion, she left the audience with five key takeaways, which are as follows:
1. Protect your Intellectual Property. If required, register with the IPOPHL. For trademarks, the certificate of registration is considered prima facie evidence that you own the mark.
2. Keep it alive. Adhere to the maintenance requirements under the IP Code. Take note of the deadlines and perform filings before the due dates.
3. Know your "friends". In commercializing your IP, for example, make sure that you affiliate with trustworthy business partners.
4. Guard your "enemies". There are legal remedies under our laws that will protect you against infringement or abuse of your intellectual property.
5. Know the trends. Regularly review your intellectual property and update as needed to keep your IP current.
Other speakers during the event included Virginia Aumentado (Division Chief, IPOPHL), Ken Simpson (Senior Counsel, Mastercard Singapore), Marlon Cabral (Assistant Manager – Patent Search Group, Emerson Electric Asia Ltd.) and Andrew Yeoh (Head of IP & Science, ASEAN, Thomson Reuters).
Equipped with in-depth knowledge of local IP laws and commercial practices drawn from over five decades of on-the-ground experience in the market, our lawyers are often invited to speak on legal developments in specific areas of intellectual property law such as licensing and franchising, technology transfer, IP prosecution, IP litigation and enforcement actions. Our Firm is also knowledgeable in emerging issues involving data privacy and cybercrime.
Vina, who has been practicing for 15 years in the fields of intellectual property law, commercial law and litigation, joined the Firm in 2014, further strengthening the Firm’s IP capabilities and network. Her practice focuses on transactional IP as well as IP portfolio management, prosecution and maintenance of registration of trademarks, copyright, patents and other regulatory compliances.
