IPOPHL cites need to register brand

MANILA, Philippines -  Your brand is a symbol that tells the world you own the goods or services you produce. It guarantees the quality and goodwill associated with your brand. Or does it? If you haven’t registered, your brand may be copied, imitated, or passed off. It is in peril unless you register it as a trademark.

You can protect your brand by registering it as a trademark with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). Registration is simple. And with 45 trademark classes, ranging from chemicals to pharmaceuticals to games and playthings, there is a class for you. Merely fill out the trademark application form in triplicate—available at www.ipophil.gov.ph. Include drawings of the mark you want to register. Specifically, include two drawings on white bond A4-size paper and 10 70 mm by 35 mm facsimiles.

And you don’t have to mortgage the kids to register. It costs only P1,090.80 for entities with assets of P100 million and below, and P2,181.60 for larger entities. If your mark is colored, it will cost you an extra P252.50. That’s it.

Neither are you limited geographically. The IPOPHL main office is at # 351 Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City 1200. It has additional satellite offices in Baguio, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, General Santos City, Iloilo, Legazpi, and Pampanga, and soon, in Tuguegarao. Specific addresses are available at www.ipophil.gov.ph.

IPOPHL will continue to build on the framework of cooperation and partnership with public and private sectors. It works with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), local government units, State Colleges & Universities, financial institutions and investors groups. So if your brand is not registered, register it. Do it today!