Intellectual Property Law Course Outline

Course Syllabus For Intellectual Property Law Based on 2012 Supreme Court Bar Examination Syllabus


1. Intellectual Property Rights in general (Sec. 1-4, Rep. Act No. 8293)

a. Intellectual property rights (Sec. 4)

Case:

a. Mighty Corporation and La Campana Fabrica de Tobaco, Inc. v. E. & J. Gallo Winery and Andersons Group, Inc., G.R. No. 154342, July 14, 2004

b. Differences between copyrights, trademarks and patent (Sec. 4)

Case:

a. Pearl & Dean (Phil.) Inc. v. Shoemart, Inc. and North Edsa Marketing Inc., G.R. No. 148222, August 15, 2003
b. Elidad C. Kho, doing business under the name and style of KEC Cosmetics Laboratory v. Hon. Court of Appeals, Summerville General Merchandising and Company, and Ang Tiam Chay, G.R. No. 115758, March 19, 2002

c. Technology transfer arrangements

Add: The Intellectual Property Office (Sec. 6-19, Rep. Act No. 8293)
Republic Act No. 10055 and 10372


Case:

a. In-N-Out Burger, Inc., v. Sehwani, Incorporated and/or Benita’s Frites, Inc., G.R. No. 179127, December 24, 2008
b. Phil Pharmawealth, Inc., v. Pfizer, Inc. and Pfizer (Phil.) Inc., G.R. No. 167715, November 17, 2010


2. Patents (Secs. 21 – 120, IPC)

Add: Applicable Provisions of Rep. Act No. 9502

a. Patentable inventions

(1) Elements of Patentability
(2) Novelty
(3) Non-Prejudicial Disclosure
(4) Inventive Step
(5) Industrial Applicability
b. Non-patentable inventions
c. Ownership of a patent

(1) Right to a patent
(2) First-to-file rule
(3) Inventions created pursuant to a Commission
(4) Right of priority

Add: Procedure in Patent Registration
Term of Patent Registration

Case:

a. Phil Pharmawealth, Inc., v. Pfizer, Inc. and Pfizer (Phil.) Inc., G.R. No. 167715, November 17, 2010

d. Grounds for cancellation of a patent
e. Remedy of the true and actual inventor

Add: Remedies of a Person Declared by Final Court Order
Having Right to the Patent

f. Rights conferred by a patent
g. Limitations of patent rights

(1) Prior user
(2) Use by the government

h. Patent infringement

(1) Tests in patent infringement

(a) Literal infringement
(b) Doctrine of equivalents


Case:

a. Smith Kline Beckman Corp. v. Court of Appeals and Tryco Pharma, G.R. No. 126627, August 14, 2003

(2) Civil and criminal action
(3) Prescriptive period
(4) Defenses in action for infringement

i. Licensing

(1) Voluntary

Add: Prohibited Clauses
Mandatory Provisions

(2) Compulsory

j. Assignment and transmission of rights


Add: Utility Models
Industrial Designs


3. Trademarks (Secs. 121 – 170, IPC)

a. Definitions of marks, collective marks, trade names (Sec. 121)

Add: Functions of a mark

Case:

a. Mirpuri v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 114508. November 19, 1999

b. Berris Agricultural Co., Inc. v. Norby Abyadang, G.R. No. 183404, October 13, 2010

b. Acquisition of ownership of mark (Sec. 122)
c. Acquisition of ownership of trade name

Case:

a. Coffee Partners, Inc. v. San Francisco Coffee and Roastery, Inc, G.R. No. 169504, March 3, 2010

d. Non-registrable marks (Sec. 123)

Case:

a. Fredco Manufacturing Corp. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, G.R. No. 185917, June 1, 2011
b. Ana Ang v. Toribio Teodoro, G.R. No. L-48226, December 14, 1942
c. McDonald’s Corporation v. L.C. Big Mac Burger, Inc. G.R. No. 14399
d. McDonald’s Corporation v. MacJoy Fastfood Corp., G.R. No. 166115, February 2, 2007
e. Lyceum of the Philippines v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 101897, March 5, 1993

e. Prior use of mark as a requirement
f. Tests to determine confusing similarity between marks

(1) Dominancy test
(2) Holistic test

Add: Lack of Proof of Actual Confusion

Case:

a. Del Monte Corp. v. Court of Appeals, G. R. No. L-78325, January 25, 1990
b. Asia Brewery, Inc. v. Court of Appeals and San Miguel Corporation, G.R. No. 103543, July 5, 1993
c. Berries Agricultural Co., Inc. v. Norvy Abyadang, G.R. No. 183404, October 13, 2010
d. Prosource International, Inc., v. Horphag Research Management SA, G.R. No. 180073, November 25, 2009


g. Well-known marks (Sec. 123.1 [e] and [f])

Case:

1. 246 Corporation v. Hon. Reynaldo B. Daway, G.R. No. 157216, G.R. No. 157216, November 20, 2003

h. Rights conferred by registration (Sec. 147)

Add: Application Procedure (Sec. 124 – 144)
Priority Right (Sec. 131)
Duration (Sec. 145)
Renewal (Sec. 146)

Use of Indications by Third Parties for Other Purposes (Sec.148)
Assignment and Transfer of Registration (Sec. 149)
License Contracts (Sec. 150)
Cancellation (Sec. 151)
Effect of Non-use (Sec. 152)
Remedies (Sec. 155 – 158)
Limitations (Sec. 159)
Trademark Dilution

Case:

a. Prosource International, Inc., v. Horphag Research Management SA, G.R. No. 180073, November 25, 2009
b. Dermaline Inc. v. Myra Pharmaceuticals, Inc., G.R. No. 190065, August 16, 2010
c. Levi Strauss v. Clinton Apparelle, Inc., G. R. No. 138900, September 20, 2005


i. Use by third parties of names, etc. similar to registered mark
k. Unfair competition (Sec. 168)

Add: False Designation of Origin (Sec. 169)
Distinguish from Trademark Infringement

l. Trade names or business names (Sec. 165)
m. Collective marks (Sec. 121.2 in relation to Sec. 167)
n. Criminal penalties for infringement, unfair competition,
false designation of origin, and false description or misrepresentation


4. Copyrights (Secs. 171 – 129, IPC)

a. Basic principles
b. Copyrightable works

(1) Original works (Sec. 172)
(2) Derivative works (Sec. 173)

c. Non-copyrightable works (Secs. 175-176)

Case:

a. Joaquin v. Drilon, G.R. No. 108946, January 28, 1999

d. Rights of copyright owner (Sec. 177)
e. Rules on ownership of copyright (Sec. 178 – 183)
f. Limitations on copyright (Sec. 184 – 190)

(1) Doctrine of fair use
(2) Copyright infringement (Sec. 216)

Case:

a. Habana v. Robles, G.R. No. 131522, July 19, 1999
b. NBI-Microsoft Corp. v. Judy Hwang, et al., G.R. No. 147043, June 21, 2005
c. ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation v. Philippine Multi-Media System, Inc., et al., G.R. No.s 175769-70, January 19, 2009

(a) Remedies
(b) Criminal penalties (Sec. 217)
Add: Moral Rights (Sec. 193 – 199)