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Long before lawyers, courts, or even the word “trademark” existed, people already wanted to put their stamp on what they created.
Imagine a potter in ancient China thousands of years ago. After shaping a ceramic jar, he carves the emperor’s name, the year, and maybe even his own. That wasn’t just pride—it was proof. Proof of who made it, where it came from, and when.
The Egyptians did the same. They used little symbols, almost like logos, on everything—clothes, stone carvings, even tombs. It was their way of saying, “This came from me. This is my work.”
And then there were the Romans. They loved stamping their goods—pots, amphorae, even the stones used to build their cities. To them, a mark was more than a doodle. It was identity.
So, while they didn’t call it a “trademark” yet, the idea was the same: a simple mark that told people who was behind a product.
Fast forward to 1266 in England. The king decided bakers couldn’t just bake bread—they had to stamp it with a unique mark. This way, people knew exactly who baked what, and the law could hold them accountable.
From there, the idea spread. Silversmiths stamped their pieces, printers marked their books, taverns hung signs that became the first “logos.” By the late 1800s, countries began writing official trademark laws.
The Philippines eventually followed suit. Today, trademarks here are governed by the Intellectual Property Code of 1997 (RA 8293), and they’re handled by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
So, let’s say you’ve built a business and want to protect your brand. How does IPOPHL handle it?
Sounds easy, but here’s the truth: if you don’t do a trademark search first, you could run into big problems.
For example, imagine trying to register “Mang Inasal” today. IPOPHL would reject it immediately because Jollibee already owns it. Or worse—you could face an opposition and legal fight you didn’t expect.
One real case that shows how serious this can get is Kellogg v. Prentice (2008), where the courts weighed whether cereal brands sounded too much alike. The point? Marks must be distinct. If customers could get confused, the trademark won’t fly.
Some trademarks are so old, they’ve been around longer than most countries’ laws:
That’s the magic of trademarks: if you keep renewing them, they can last forever.
Think about the last time you bought a soda, sneakers, or even shampoo. You probably didn’t even read the fine print—you trusted the logo. That’s what trademarks do. They carry trust, history, and reputation.
In the Philippines, IPOPHL won’t let just anything pass as a trademark. They’ll reject marks that are:
That’s why doing your homework before filing is so important. A quick search can save you from spending months—and thousands of pesos—only to get rejected.
Trademarks aren’t just legal hoops to jump through. They’re stories. They tell people who you are, what you stand for, and what they can expect from your product.
If you’re building a business in the Philippines, registering with IPOPHL is one of the smartest moves you can make. Do the search, make your mark unique, and protect it.
Because at the end of the day, a trademark isn’t just a logo. It’s a promise.