Patricia A.O. Bunye | Raiza Alexis D. Radoc | Bianca Marie J. Angela M. Rañola |Natalie Isabel P. Lim
Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia (CMT) hosted an afternoon of cocktails and conversations on 18 April 2024 at its office in Taguig City as part of the American Intellectual Property Association (AIPLA) 2024 Women in IP Law Global Networking Event, featuring two prominent speakers: Ms. Anna Meloto-Wilk, the President and Co-Founder of Human Nature, and IPOPHL Deputy Director General (“DDG”) Ann Claire Cabochan.
Ms. Wilk shared the story of Human Nature and how it leveraged its brand to address persistent social issues like poverty and environmental degradation. Her presentation was entitled “Inclusive Business Building the New Middle Class: The Human Nature Story” and focused on the struggles Human Nature faced as a growing business and how it overcame those struggles without compromising its principles.
Ms. Wilk also talked about how Human Nature was plagued with trademark issues when it was just a nascent business, but how, with the help of CMT, it successfully defended its intellectual property rights — a victory that secured Human Nature’s brand identity and is essential to its business strategy.
DDG Cabochan gave a very informative lecture on the link between IP assets and trade. Her presentation focused on how the protection of intellectual property rights, particularly trademarks, has enhanced business growth in the Philippines.