J. Ponce Law

28/02/2026

The Well-Known Marks Registry: A New Era for Trademark Protection in the Philippines

On April 28, 2025, Memorandum Circular No. 2025-009 took effect, changing the way that Philippine trademark law handles famous brands. The memorandum, officially known as the Rules and Regulations for the Declaration and Creation of the Register of Well-Known Marks, establishes a new process of declaring a trademark as well-known through an administrative process that does away with cumbersome legal battles and pages of evidence of the trademark’s fame. Iconic brands like Jollibee have immediately utilized this new system, with the aforementioned brand being the first in the Philippines to file its highly recognizable mascot and logo as well-known marks.

To know more please visit our post at

A New Era for Trademark Protection in the Philippines | J. Ponce Law Firm | Trademark Philippines | All about Trademark in the Philippines

22/02/2026

AI Patenting, when it comes to Artificial Intelligence, or AI, the Philippines refuses to be left behind. On January 26, 2026, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Intellectual Property of the Philippines (IPOPHL) was signed, officially signaling that the country is ready to be a global contender when it comes to developing AI technologies and legally protecting them.

Read more

New Guidelines for the Newest Technology: On Patenting AI Tech | J. Ponce Law | Guidelines for AI Patent

17/07/2024

Taking Down a Giant: Fighting Piracy with the New Rules on Site Blocking

J. Ponce Law is thrilled to announce a resounding victory for our client, the Motion Picture Association, Inc., a trade association that represents filmmaking giants Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros., and iconic streaming platform Netflix. The fight against piracy is far from cinematic but here we have a triumph worth writing about. After filing the first site-blocking case in the Philippines, we won the right to take down one of the biggest piracy websites in a landmark decision that made use of a new IP rule.

Read full article here:

Taking Down a Giant: Fighting Piracy with the New Rules on Site Blocking | J. Ponce Law |

10/07/2024

Starting July 25, 2024, the following will take effect:

• Amendments to IPOPHL MC No. 2023-001 or The Rules and Regulations on Trademarks, Service Marks, Trade Names and Marked or Stamped Containers of 2023

• Amended Philippine Regulations Implementing the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks of 2017

Read the full MCs here:
MC No. 2024-023: https://bit.ly/4cRPfIW
MC No. 2024-024: https://bit.ly/3S3o5qt

21/05/2024

issued its first site-blocking request against 11 domains and subdomains under the YTS brand, a major piracy website across the globe. The infringers used various methods to illegally distribute and access copyrighted material, including peer-to-peer networks, illegal streaming sites, direct downloads, and virtual private networks (VPNs) to hide their activities.

As of May 18, almost all internet service providers (ISPs) that are signatories to the site-blocking memorandum of understanding have cut access to the sites following the memorandum order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Read full story here: https://bit.ly/44NkNNj

30/08/2023

Join the Exy IP Talk Global Series to learn about business expansion opportunities in different countries. In this series of free webinars, you'll hear from expert Jan Abigail Ponce from J. Ponce Law (Philippines), who will share her knowledge on why Philippines is a good place for entrepreneurs to explore with a specific focus on intellectual property (IP) strategies.

The abundance of resources and rapid economic growth in Philippines presents significant opportunities for businesses to tap into a growing market and reach a wide customer base, among many other advantages.

Date : 12th September 2023
Philippines / Malaysia time : 3 pm (Tuesday)
Don't miss this incredible opportunity!

03/12/2021

We all know that examination and prosecution of a patent application is a long and tedious process that may take years to complete. Typically, the first Office Action reporting the findings of the merit examination of a patent application in the Philippines issues three (3) years from the filing or national phase entry date. The prosecution of the patent application may then take about one (1) to (2) years from the firs Office Action. Given this long period before the patent is granted, patent applicants should consider availing of the Patent Prosecution Highway or the Asean Patent Examination Co-operation Program to fast track their patent.

Get in touch with to know more about Patent Prosecution Hi-way and how we at J. Ponce Law can assist you and your business.

You can view more information on our website updates.

HOW TO FAST TRACK YOUR PHILIPPINE PATENT APPLICATION THROUGH THE PATENT PROSECUTION HIGHWAY OR THE ASEAN PATENT EXAMINATION CO-OPERATION |

27/09/2021

Off-White and S.C. Johnson appear to have put their branding differences aside for the time being, with the American multinational consumer packaged goods

20/11/2020

The need to secure intellectual property and trademark registration has become essential as world economies continue to expand.

In the local business arena, the likes of conglomerate San Miguel Corporation and banking giant Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) went to great lengths to ensure the design and color of their company logos are protected by trademarks and related intellectual property laws.

Imagine the ramifications of having less established or even bogus financial companies use BPI’s logo to solicit investments if the latter’s trademark is not registered.

To know more about the challenges you can encounter with intellectual property and trademark registration read our article on the link below:

https://poncelaw.com.ph/2020/11/20/challenges-intellectual-property-and-trademark-registration/

Save yourself the headache of going through the maze of International Intellectual Property and Trademark Registration. Contact J. Ponce Law

22/10/2020

Patents keep competitors at bay.

Are you a business owner looking for a competitive edge? If yes, one way to achieve this is to patent your products.

Read our blog: "Practical Reasons to Patent Your Products
" https://poncelaw.com.ph/2020/10/22/pratical-reason-to-patent-your-products/

15/10/2020

Are you an innovator, a business owner, or an artist? Your original ideas are the most valuable assets you can have as an individual or an organization. So, you should consider legally registering any intellectual property under your name. Visit our site and read our article on Why you should register your intellectual property. https://poncelaw.com.ph/2020/10/15/why-you-should-register-your-intellectual-property/

25/06/2020

The Philippine requirement of submitting a Declaration of Actual Use to maintain a trademark registration | J. Ponce Law | Updates