Question & AnswerQ&A (IPO OFFICE ORDER NO. 129, s. 2003)
The title of the rules and regulations is the "Patent and Trademark Agents Regulations."
No, registration is voluntary and is not a prerequisite to appearance before IPOPhil.
Only members of the Philippine bar in good standing are allowed to appear as counsel in such cases.
The registries are: 1) Trademark Agent Registry, 2) Patent Agent Registry, 3) Patent and Trademark Agent Registry, and 4) Resident Representative Registry.
Disqualified are: a) employees of IPOPhil; b) former IPOPhil employees disqualified under Section 19 of the IP Code; c) relatives up to fourth degree of those employees or former employees; and d) juridical entities where any of these persons is a member, stockholder, partner, or employee.
Must be a resident or domiciled in the Philippines and must have completed at least 40 hours of training organized or sponsored by IPOPhil. For juridical entities, at least one senior officer must have completed this training.
They must be a member of the Philippine Bar in good standing.
They must hold a Bachelor's or postgraduate degree in specified fields like engineering or medical/technical sciences, have at least 12 months technical training in patents, including formality examination and patent searches, and at least six years of experience in patent processing including advanced search, formality and substantive examination.
They must have at least one registered Trademark Agent and one registered Patent Agent, or at least one registered Patent & Trademark Agent, as one of its senior officers.
DITTB is responsible for implementing the regulations, maintaining the registries, assigning permanent codes, organizing training, and coordinating with other bureaus.
The Permanent Code must be indicated in all responses, pleadings, and communications filed with or submitted to the IPOPhil.
Their name shall be dropped from the listing effective January 21st.
Yes, there is no limit on the number of times they may re-enlist subject to meeting qualifications and paying fees.
They must complete at least 32 training hours annually provided or sponsored by the Bureau of Patents, Bureau of Legal Affairs, and the Bureau of Trademarks.
They are disqualified only if disqualified under Section 19 of the IP Code, but if they meet training and experience requirements, their prior IPOPhil service counts towards these.