WHEREAS, it is the policy of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL) to streamline administrative procedures in registering trademarks;

WHEREAS, in order to streamline the administrative procedures of registering trademarks and make them responsive to the requirements of the IPOPHIL and its clients, there is a need to amend certain provisions of the Trademark Regulations;

NOW, THEREFORE, The Trademark Regulations are hereby amended, as follows:

Section 1. Rule 605, as amended by Office Order No. 20, Series of 2001, is hereby amended as follows: 

RULE 605(b). Priority of action and/or examination may be granted upon petition under oath with payment of fees and upon approval by the Examiner , to trademark applications falling under any of the following:

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Section 2. Rule 615 is hereby amended as follows:

RULE 615. Revival of Abandoned Application, (a) An abandoned application may be revived as a pending application within three (3) months from the date of abandonment, if it is shown to the satisfaction of the Examiner , and upon payment of the required fee, that the delay was due to fraud, accident, mistake or excusable negligence.  

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Section 3. Rule 617 is hereby amended as follows:   

RULE 617. Suspension of action by the Examiner. Examination proceeding may be suspended upon written request of the applicant for good and sufficient cause, within a reasonable period as may be determined by the Examiner, provided the required fee has been paid.

Section 4. All other rules and regulations, memoranda, circulars and memorandum circulars or parts thereof inconsistent with these rules are likewise repealed. 

Section 5. Ms. Ana Maida J. Zamora, Administrative Officer V of the Bureau of Trademarks, is hereby directed to immediately file three (3) certified copies of these Rules with the University of the Philippines Law Center, and one (1) certified copy each to the Senate of the Philippines, the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court of the Philippines, and the National Library.

Mr. Restituto E. Maligaya, Division Chief, Operations and Maintenance Division, MIS Bureau, is hereby directed to post this Office Order in the IPO website not later than 15 December 2015.

Section 6. This Office Order shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following the completion of its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

Done this 11day of DEC 2015 at Taguig City, Philippines.

 

(SGD.) JOSEPHINE R. SANTIAGO       Director General