PHILIPPINES Law and Practice Contributed by: Mark Leo Bejemino, Maria Patricia Cruz and Edward King Chua, Villaraza & Angangco
Villaraza & Angangco is a full-service law firm based in Bonifacio Global City, Philippines, and has a strong IP reputation, widely recognised by clients and peers alike. Its IP practice spans the full range of IP-related matters, including trade mark, patent, design and copyright registration; IP commercialisation, licens ‑ ing, franchising and technology transfer arrange ‑ ments; freedom-to-operate searches; trade mark opposition and cancellation; patent invalidation; anti-piracy programmes; IP enforcement actions; border control measures; domain name registration
and audits; regulatory advice; and FDA registrations. The firm’s patent team comprises lawyers with strong technical backgrounds (holding degrees in biology, biotechnology, chemistry, materials science, applied physics, medicine and related fields) and extensive experience in prosecuting, defending and litigat ‑ ing patent matters. Their expertise enables them to draft and amend patent specifications and claims, conduct freedom-to-operate analyses, and represent clients in cancellation, invalidation and infringement proceedings.
Authors
Mark Leo Bejemino is a partner at Villaraza & Angangco and has over a decade of experience in IP law. He holds degrees in Law and Applied Physics, and his practice encompasses patent and trade mark
Edward King Chua is a senior associate at Villaraza & Angangco. He has a degree in Chemistry with Materials Science and Engineering, and previously worked as a patent examiner at the Intellectual Property
prosecution, and IP litigation, where he leads the firm’s patent invalidation and infringement matters. He has been recognised in international legal rankings and publications and is a member of several professional organisations, including the Asian Patent Attorneys Association, where he serves on the Patent Committee.
Office of the Philippines, where he gained relevant experience in prosecuting and maintaining patents. At the firm, he handles the prosecution and maintenance of trade marks, patents and industrial designs. He also handles infringement, opposition and cancellation cases before the Philippine Intellectual Property Office and regular courts.
Maria Patricia Cruz is a senior associate at Villaraza & Angangco and has more than seven years’ experience in IP. Her medical expertise as a licensed physician aids in her work involving the prosecution
and maintenance of patents, and also in patent litigation. She also handles the prosecution and maintenance of trade marks and the firm’s growing domain name work, as well as trade mark infringement, opposition and cancellation cases in both administrative and judicial tribunals involving matters for foreign and local key industry players.
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