About Us

J. Ponce Law is an intellectual property law firm based in the Philippines. We are one of the few intellectual property law firms in the country. Our firm’s area of practice is focused mainly on intellectual property law. As an intellectual property law firm, we pride ourselves to be a team of lawyers, registered patent agents, engineers and trademark specialists who have decades long experience in the practice of intellectual property involving trademarks, trade names patents, utility models, industrial designs, copyright, licensing, technology transfer and franchise agreements, IP litigation and IP enforcement.

Our work product consists of numerous trademark registrations and granted patents, utility model and industrial designs. We have likewise assisted multinational and start-up companies as well as individuals in protecting their intellectual property rights in the Philippines by securing favorable decisions in opposition and cancellation proceedings as well as conducting cease and desist campaigns against known infringers and filing infringement cases. We have also been successful in obtaining well-known trademark status declarations from the Philippine Intellectual Property Office.

As an intellectual property law firm, we have also established long working relationships with other intellectual property law firms in other jurisdictions making it easy for us to help our clients protect their intellectual property rights in other countries. Thus, we are able to help clients obtain trademark registrations, patent, utility model, design and copyright deposit certificates from various intellectual property offices in other countries. We understand that your intellectual property is one of the pillars of your business enterprise. We aim to help protect your most valuable asset.

Our Expertise

Our team of professionals can assist you in every aspect of intellectual property work be it about trademark, invention patent, utility model, industrial design, copyright or trade secrets. We can assist in registering your valuable intellectual property rights with the Intellectual Property Office, prosecute your applications for registration, prepare responses to official actions, draft, review and record agreements involving IPRs, conduct due diligence searches, maintain and renew your IP registrations.

Our lawyers have an expert handle of the intellectual property law and related laws and can efficiently represent you and your clients in oppositions against trademark applications and petitions for cancellations of trademark, invention patents, utility model registrations and industrial design registrations. Likewise, our lawyers can represent you or your clients in intellectual property violation cases. We can also assist you in filing administrative, civil and/or criminal complaints for trademark, patent and copyright infringement and also unfair competition.

Our registered patent agents and engineers have over two decades of experience in extensive patent work, including the drafting of specifications, abstracts and claims, and conducting patent searches and freedom to operate opinions.

Our trademark specialists are highly knowledgeable in prosecuting and registering trademarks and are able to handle and manage numerous trademark files for our clients. They are proactive in their work and are capable of properly advising clients of suggestions in order to avoid registrability reports and provisional refusals.

IPO Philippines Cases Mediation, Now Mandatory

August 15, 2018

IPO Philippines Cases Mediation, Now Mandatory

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has recently promulgated the Revised Rules on Mediation (IPOPHL Memorandum Circular No. 008, Series of 2018) making mediation mandatory for cases filed with the IPO.

Prior to the issuance of the Revised Rules on Mediation, intellectual property cases filed with the IPO are only referred for mediation and any one of the parties may refuse to undergo mediation. Should any of the parties refuse, the case will be referred back to the originating bureau or in case of appeal, the Office of the Director General for the continuation of the adjudication or appeal proceedings. With the new rules on mediation, parties to a case are now required to undergo mediation before the IPO’s Alternative Dispute Services.

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Burger Wars

May 15, 2018

Burger Wars

BURGER WARS: USE OF “BIG MAK” in corporate name “L.C.  BIG MAK BURGER, INC.”  and “SUPER MAK” brand not infringement of McDonald’s famous “BIG MAC” trademark.

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Supreme Court recognizes use of a trademark in cyber space is an acceptable form of actual use to maintain a mark in the Philippines

January 10, 2018

Supreme Court recognizes use of a trademark in cyber space is an acceptable form of actual use to maintain a mark in the Philippines

This stemmed from the Petition for Cancellation filed by W Land Holdings, Inc. (“W Land”) against Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc.’s (“Starwood”) trademark registration for “W” covering services under Classes 43 and 44.

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