Trademark Your Brand in the Philippines
How to file a trademark at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in the Philippines
In any business, the presence of a brand is important. The company’s brand identifies and differentiates the company, the product or the service it offers against its competitors. Filing a trademark protects that brand and its visual representation, and serves as a vital marketing tool in the industry. Accepted trademarks can either be a word, a group of words, sign, symbol or logo, or a combination of these.
Both local and foreign companies can file a trademark. However, foreigners or foreign companies will need to appoint a local agent or representation to file their trademark in the Philippines. Note that the right to trademark is given to the first organization or company who filed a trademark to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.
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Filing a trademark registration in the Philippines takes time. It begins by filing an application to the IPO. To do this, you need to submit the following documents:
1. A trademark application form (Downloadable on the IPO website)
2. A visual representation of your brand (drawing)
3. Payment of trademark fees – for small entities (companies with assets less than PHP100M), filing fee is PHP1,080. A complete list of fees is also indicated in the IPO site.
4. For foreign companies: a Special Power of Attorney
Note that filing a trademark takes time. After the application has been filed, IPO will conduct a search to determine if there are similar marks. You will be notified by the IPO of the findings and will be given instruction on the next step of the application. The whole process takes at least a year before the trademark is issued.
For more information, visit: http://www.ipophil.gov.ph
Contact details:
Intellectual Property Office (IPO)
28 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Hill Town Center
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
Telephone Number: 238-6300 locals 121/122/207 for general inquiries
Sources:
http://www.ipophil.gov.ph/index.php/services/trademark/about-trademark
http://ndvlaw.com/how-to-get-a-trademark-in-the-philippines/
http://www.ipophil.gov.ph/index.php/services/trademark/about-trademark
