Professional Background

Ms. Rowanie A. Nakan is a Senior Partner in the Intellectual Property Department and heads the Patent Group of Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia. She graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law with a citation as one of the Outstanding Law Interns. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Physics from the National Institute of Physics, which is based in the same University. She is also an alumna of the Philippine Science High School-Southern Mindanao Campus. The combination of her technical and legal trainings inevitably led her to the field of patents.

She is among the top passers of the 2007 Patent Agent Qualifying Examination, which was then jointly administered by the Philippine Intellectual Property Office (“IPOPHL”) and the European Patent Office. She also attended the 2011 Southeast Asian Patent Drafting Course in Hong Kong organized by the Fédération Internationale des Conseils en Propriété Intellectuelle as well as the 2010 Japan Patent Office Training Course for Patent Experts.

Ms. Nakan’s patent prosecution practice spans more than fifteen (15) years and involves different technologies in various industries, including medical, electrical and software-related inventions. Her technical and legal backgrounds, patent trainings locally and abroad, coupled with actual experience in patent drafting, prosecution, freedom to operate searches, litigation, IP valuation, and commercialization, allow her to provide holistic and effective IP management strategies to her clients.

She has also spoken in IPOPHL and Department of Science and Technology (“DOST”)-organized IP lectures, as well as in the 2015 Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle (“AIPPI”) World Congress in Rio de Janeiro, where she discussed regulatory and trademark issues involved in selecting a brand name in the Philippine pharmaceutical industry.

She has also been a member of various Fairness Opinion Boards constituted by DOST Regional Offices for the issuance of Fairness Opinion Reports in connection with the commercialization of government-funded technologies.

Ms. Nakan finds fulfilment in facilitating the public’s access to socially relevant technologies. She takes pride in securing protection over a home-grown and portable diagnostic kit for detecting different pathogens in the name of the University of the Philippines.

She was also named among top patent practitioners in the Philippines. According to IAM Patent 1000, “Heading the outfit’s patent group is the capable and meticulous Rowanie Nakan, a physicist who combines strong legal and technical acumen to deliver high-quality results. ‘Rowanie is extremely responsive and knowledgeable about patent laws, especially for ASEAN territories. She has a good relationship with the Philippines IPO, and is very creative in meeting our billing requirements. All in all, she is a delight to work with.’”

Citations:

Cited as among IAM Patent Global Leaders (2024)

IAM Patent 1000, Gold (2023), Silver (2022)

IP Stars, Trademark Star and Patent Star (2022-2024)

Legal 500, Next Generation Partner (2022-2023)

Asia IP, IP Expert (2024)