The Office of Bagay-Villamor &
Fabiosa was originally the legal department of Penshoppe,
a Philippine apparel and lifestyle marketing company
with over 500 outlets in the Philippines as well as
5 foreign franchisees. The firm was created in 1995
initially to provide comprehensive legal and intellectual
property-related service exclusively for Penshoppe.
For this purpose, the firm operated two offices in strategic
locations in the Philippines and forged regional alliances
and partnerships with foreign correspondents in different
Asian countries.
In 1999, the legal partnership of the firm's lawyers
was incorporated and the firm was spun-off to become
an independent law office serving clients other than
Penshoppe.
In 2000, the firm embarked on several milestone undertakings.
It commissioned an automated billing and case-tracking
system, which system went live after two years of construction
and remains to be the information technology backbone
of the firm until the present.
To advocate for a stronger intellectual property regime
in the Philippines, the firm created in 2000 its communications
and training entity, Asia Pacific Business Access Philippines,
Inc., and used the service mark “I PROTECT”
to publish articles and deliver awareness seminars on
intellectual property. Up to the present, the firm's
partners write weekly articles in the regional newspaper,
SUNSTAR
CEBU.
Also in 2000, the firm became a full-fledged member
of the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines
(IPAP), the International Trademark Association (INTA)
and participated in the meeting of the Asian
Patent Attorneys Association (APAA).
In 2002, the firm's partners spearheaded the organization
of a local network of intellectual property owners,
government officers, and law enforcement agencies to
further the cooperation among different entities involved
in anti-piracy initiatives in Cebu. This gave birth
to the Intellectual Property Alliance of Cebu which
was chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry
in Cebu.
In 2003, the partners published, through Asia Pacific
Business Access Philippines, Inc., a book on trademark
law entitled “Protecting
Marks of Ownership” a trademark handbook for
entrepreneurs. The formal launching of the book was
keynoted by the then Director General of the
Intellectual Property Office, Ms. Emma C. Francisco.
This is what she said about the book:
“‘Protecting
Marks of Ownership’ is a well-written, easy
to understand handbook on trademark law. Businessmen
and entrepreneurs will find this useful especially
in this age of knowledge-based economy when intellectual
property is a vital ingredient to a company's success."
"Written in layman's language, ‘Protecting
Marks of Ownership’, is a welcome addition
to a businessman's things-to-make-and-do collection
for the new millennium.”
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