30 October, 2014
Quisumbing Torres, in cooperation with the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), sponsored a training for Bureau of Customs (BOC) examiners last 30 September at the Quisumbing Torres Law Office. During this full-day session, client representatives from The Procter & Gamble Company, Pfizer Inc. (Philippines) and WD-40 Manufacturing Company presented the features of counterfeit vis-à-vis their genuine products. Over 20 BOC examiners and intelligence officers, led by Atty. Teddy Raval, head of the BOC Intellectual Property Department, attended the event. AmCham Association members, led by its executive director, Mr. Ebb Hinchliffe, were also present.
Presenters included Mr. Mohamad NIZAM Ahmad Dali, Regional Brand Protection Leader, Asean & ADM of The Procter & Gamble Company, and Ms. Fe Alma A. Fernando, Quality Operations Manager of Pfizer Inc. (Philippines). Quisumbing Torres’ Atty. Carlo Abarquez, associate in the Intellectual Property & Information Technology Practice Group, spoke on behalf of WD-40 Manufacturing Company.
“Earlier this year, the Philippines was removed from the Special 301 Watch List of the United States Trade Representative,” shared Atty. Bienvenido A. Marquez III, partner in and head of Quisumbing Torres’ Intellectual Property Practice Group and head of the Firm’s Information Technology & Communications Industry Group. “But we realized, as lawyers of stakeholders and our clients, that the fight against counterfeit goods is an on-going war. We realize the need to strengthen border protection through capacity building training seminars for the members of the BOC as our port front-liners,” he explained as he opened the first of a planned series of capacity-building seminars for the BOC.
“The American Chamber of Commerce recognizes the remarkable progress made within the BOC and the country’s Intellectual Property Rights administration,” expressed Mr. Hinchliffe of AmCham. “The challenge now is to maintain this achievement of staying off the watchlist.”
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