The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines brought about many changes in the operations of both the public and private sectors. With the imposition of lockdowns and government-mandated social distancing came the need to transition to online meetings and remote work, a challenge that was faced by both sectors as the entire country

Parallel imports refer to the import of non-counterfeit or genuine goods from one country to another without the permission of the intellectual property owner. Whether parallel importation may constitute a violation of intellectual property rights (“IPR”) depends on the nature of the IPR involved.   Philippine law currently provides for a system of protection of

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia, in partnership with The Legal 500, hosted a webinar entitled “Technology Law for Business Owners: A Spotlight on Intellectual Property Law, FinTech and Data Privacy Law in the Philippines” on 21 May 2021, focusing on the key aspects of, and updates on, Philippine intellectual property, financial technology, and data privacy laws

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia’s (“CMT”) Senior Partner, Mr. John Jerico Balisnomo, has been chosen as one of "Asia Super 50 Disputes Lawyers" by Asian Legal Business (“ALB”) which was published in April 2021 by Thomson Reuters.   The said publication is ALB’s inaugural list of Asia’s most notable and accomplished litigation and dispute resolution practitioners. The

The Department of Health (“DOH”), the Department of Trade and Industry, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (“IPO”), and the Food and Drug Administration issued Joint DOH-DTI-IPO-BFAD Administrative Order No. 2021-0001 (“JAO 2021-0001”) dated 03 May 2021 entitled “Supplemental Guidelines to Joint DOH-DTI-IPO-BFAD Administrative Order No. 2008-01, the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in its Memorandum Circular No. 3, series of 2021 (“MC No. 3”) provides for the schedule and procedure for the filing of annual financial statements, general information sheet and other covered reports.   In relation thereto, the SEC issued a Notice on 12 May 2021 (the “Notice”), providing for

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued on 30 March 2021 SEC-OGC Opinion No. 21-04 (“SEC Opinion”) which states that a corporation may provide in its By-laws the specific number of stockholders or members that must be present in a meeting that will constitute a quorum.   The said Opinion was requested by a non-stock,

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued on 07 May 2021 SEC-OGC Opinion No. 21-05 (“SEC Opinion”) which states that, in the absence of any indication that the corporation has incurred or will incur expenses in connection with its sale of the capital stocks pursuant to an increase in its Authorized Capital Stock (“ACS”) exclusively to

The Philippine Intellectual Property Office (“IPOPHL”) issued on 14 May 2021 Memorandum Circular No. 2021-015 (“MC 2021-015”) which adopts as a mode of service the electronic service of interlocutory orders and notices to counsels, representatives, and parties. This is in line with Rule 2, Section 5(a) of the Amended Rules and Regulations on Inter Partes

After undergoing the rigorous accreditation course of the Philippine International Center for Conflict Resolution (PICCR) over a period of several months from June 2020 to January 2021 and successfully passing numerous assessment examinations, Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia Partner Atty. Jacques S. Lynn and Senior Associate Atty. Maria Theresa M. Domingo join Senior Partner Atty. Elmar

The Department of Energy (“DOE”) issued on 26 April 2021 its Advisory on the Implementation of DOE Department Circular No. DC2020-01-0001 (“DC2020-01-0001”) and Other Concerns Relative to Direct Connection Arrangements of an Electricity End-User (the “Advisory’).   DC2020-01-0001 prescribes the rules governing the review and evaluation of direct connection applications of industrial, commercial and other