The current trademark regulations in the Philippines are mainly based on the Philippine Intellectual Property Code, which came into effect on January 1, 1998. The Philippine Intellectual Property Office is responsible for managing trademark affairs, and the official languages are English and Filipino. Trademark exclusive rights need to be obtained through registration. Trademark registration is not mandatory, but in order to protect the trademark or renew it, it must be registered in accordance with the law. The trademark registration in the Philippines follows the principle of "application first".
The Philippines is a signatory to international intellectual property treaties such as the Paris Convention and the WIPO Convention, and a member of the Madrid Protocol. Therefore, trademark registration can be processed through "single country registration" or "Madrid International Registration".
At present, the Philippines adopts the Nice Classification 11th edition of product and service descriptions and accepts applications for multiple categories in one form. The elements that can be registered as trademarks in the Philippines include: text, name, graphics, color, letters, numbers, etc.
If the applicant does not reside in the Philippines, they must entrust a specialized agent in their home country to handle the matter. The basic materials required for trademark application are:
1. Trademark design;
2. Specific categories and product/service items;
3. Name and address of the applicant;
4.If priority is declared, priority proof documents and corresponding English translations must be provided. The translated documents must also be signed and confirmed by professional translators with translation qualifications in the country;
5. Power of attorney.
The main process for applying for registration of a trademark in the Philippines is: application acceptance examination announcement approval issuance. The application will be accepted within 1-2 weeks after submission. The examiner will conduct formal and substantive examinations on the application. Formal review mainly examines whether the application requirements and classification information comply with regulations; The substantive examination includes the examination of the distinctiveness of the trademark, whether it violates the prohibition and prohibition clauses, and whether it conflicts with the prior trademark. If the examination fails, a rejection notice will be issued and the applicant will be required to respond within the time limit specified in the rejection notice. If the substantive examination passes, it will be arranged for public announcement. The objection period is 30 days from the announcement date, and any interested party or prior right holder may raise objections. The main reasons for raising objections are:
1. Conflict with prior trademarks, such as owning a prior registered trademark;
2. The trademark lacks distinctiveness;
3. The trademark has adverse effects;
4. Malicious registration;
5. Conflict with other prior rights, such as trade name rights, design rights, copyrights, personal names, etc.
If there are no objections or objections are not valid during the announcement period, registration can be approved and a registration certificate can be issued. In a smooth situation, trademark registration in the Philippines takes about one year; If things don't go smoothly and there are objections or rejections along the way, the time will be greatly extended.
The Philippine trademark is valid for 10 years after registration, starting from the date of registration; Renewal can be processed within 6 months before the expiration date, with a grace period of 6 months; The renewal is valid for 10 years.
The invalidation or revocation application after trademark registration can generally be filed based on the following reasons:
1. Violating relevant laws and regulations;
2. Malicious registration;
3.If a trademark is not actually used in that country for three consecutive years after registration, anyone may apply for revocation; Except for force majeure.
Trademark revocation applications can be submitted to the Legal Affairs Office of the Philippine Intellectual Property Office, which generally takes 1-2 years under current examination conditions. The respondent can generally provide the following evidence materials to respond to the revocation application filed by others on the grounds of "not used":
The respondent can generally provide the following evidence materials to respond to the revocation application filed by others on the grounds of "not used":
1. Invoice; Product catalog; Revenue evidence;
2. Packaging and decoration; label; quotation;
3. Advertising; Written statement; Market research results.