SC Hosts National Judicial Colloquium on Intellectual Property Adjudication
August 22, 2025
Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao (second row, fifth from right) leads the National Judicial Colloquium on Intellectual Property Adjudication in the Philippines held on August 14 and 15, 2025, at the Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City. With him are speakers (second row, from left): Presiding Judge Karla Regina Valera-Chua, Branch 147, Regional Trial Court (RTC), Makati City; Presiding Judge Ethel V. Mercado-Gutay, Branch 137, RTC, Makati City; Court of Tax Appeals Associate Justice Maria Rowena Modesto-San Pedro; Federal Court of Australia Justice Cameron Moore; Philippine Judicial Academy Chancellor and retired SC Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang; Court of Appeals Associate Justice Michael P. Ong; Presiding Judge Antonio Ray A. Ortiguera, Branch 2, RTC, Balanga City, Bataan; and Presiding Judge Romeo D. Tagra, Branch 273, RTC, Marikina City; together with RTC Judges from the National Capital Region and First to Fifth Judicial Regions. (Photo courtesy of the SC Communications Office)
The Supreme Court (SC), through the SC Sub-Committee on Commercial Courts and the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA), hosted the National Judicial Colloquium on Intellectual Property Adjudication in the Philippines (Colloquium) held on August 14 and 15, 2025, at Makati Diamond Residences.
The Colloquium was in partnership with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It brought together Special Commercial Court Judges from across the country who had completed the Distance Learning Course (DLC) on Intellectual Property (IP) Adjudication, which ran from June 1 to August 13, 2025. The course aimed to strengthen judicial capacity, promote consistency in rulings, and address emerging challenges in IP law.
SC Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao, Vice Chairperson of the SC Sub-Committee on Commercial Courts, described the Colloquium as a beacon of cooperation and progress.
He emphasized the importance of IP adjudication, stating “Effective adjudication of intellectual property cases is a vital safeguard for innovators and creators for whom the Constitution stands guard.”
Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao delivers the closing remarks at the National Judicial Colloquium on Intellectual Property Adjudication in the Philippines on August 15, 2025, at the Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City. (Photo courtesy of the SC Communications Office)
He also reaffirmed the SC’s commitment under the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI) to strengthen the IP legal framework. “A judiciary that functions like a well-oiled machine serves as a bulwark for the rights of innovators, creators, and inventors, which is essential for maintaining public trust in our institutions for intellectual property,” he added.
Philippine Judicial Academy Chancellor and retired Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang delivers the welcome remarks at the National Judicial Colloquium on Intellectual Property Adjudication in the Philippines on August 14, 2025, at the Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City. (Photo courtesy of the SC Communications Office)
In her welcome remarks, PHILJA Chancellor and retired SC Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang emphasized that the program was designed to meet the courts’ evolving needs amid rapid technological change and increasingly complex IP issues. She highlighted the importance of fair adjudication—protecting the rights of innovators while ensuring public access to information.
Court of Tax Appeals Associate Justice Maria Rowena Modesto-San Pedro gives an overview of the World Intellectual Property Organization Distance Learning Course during the National Judicial Colloquium on Intellectual Property Adjudication in the Philippines held on August 14 and 15, 2025, at the Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City. (Photo courtesy of the Supreme Court Communications Office)
Court of Tax Appeals Associate Justice Maria Rowena Modesto-San Pedro introduced the WIPO DLC, explaining its development from a generic program launched in 2017 to the world’s first DLC tailored for Philippine judges. She noted that the course has been further refined to meet local needs, offering tools for IP adjudication that are sophisticated, reliable, and at par with international standards.
Regional Trial Court judges from the National Capital Region and First to Fifth Judicial Regions participate in workshops and discussions during the National Judicial Colloquium on Intellectual Property Adjudication in the Philippines held on August 14 and 15, 2025, at the Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City. (Photo courtesy of the Supreme Court Communications Office)
The Colloquium featured hands-on workshops where judges worked in groups to solve case problems involving key IP law issues. These sessions allowed participants to apply what they had learned from the DLC, with guidance from national and international experts in IP adjudication.
Local experts included Court of Appeals Associate Justice Wilhelmina B. Jorge Wagan, who joined Justice Modesto-San Pedro; Presiding Judge Karla Regina D. Valera-Chua, Branch 147, Regional Trial Court (RTC), Makati City; Presiding Judge Ethel Mercado-Gutay, Branch 137, RTC, Makati City; and Presiding Judge Antonio Ray A. Ortiguera, Branch 2, RTC, Balanga City, Bataan.
They were joined by IPOPHL Director General Brigitte M. da Costa-Villaluz; Philippine Competition Commission Commissioner and former IPOPHL Patent Director Lolibeth Ramit-Medrano; PHILJA Professorial Lecturer and former IPOPHL Director General Atty. Ricardo Blancaflor; and PHILJA Commercial Law Department Member and retired RTC Judge Elma Rafallo-Lingan.
International experts also contributed to the discussions. Justice Cameron Moore of the Federal Court of Australia spoke on procedures and patent law, while Justice Soumen Sen of India’s Calcutta High Court discussed trademark and copyright adjudication. Justice Moore emphasized the value of sharing perspectives across jurisdictions, noting that Australia’s approach to IP cases could help shape effective procedures in the Philippines. Justice Sen highlighted how IP law in India continues to evolve in response to new challenges.
WIPO Judicial Institute Director Eun-Joo Min delivered a video message, expressing hope that the Colloquium’s group discussions would help judges apply their knowledge to complex scenarios and serve as a model for other countries.
Local and international experts share insights during the National Judicial Colloquium on Intellectual Property Adjudication held on August 14 and 15, 2025, at the Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City. These include (from upper left, clockwise) Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines former Director General Atty. Ricardo Blancaflor; Court of Appeals Associate Justice Michael P. Ong; Calcutta High Court Justice Soumen Sen; and Federal Court of Australia Justice Cameron Moore. (Photo courtesy of the Supreme Court Communications Office)
On the second day of the Colloquium, IPOPHL Director General da Costa-Villaluz encouraged participants to stay open to different perspectives and to learn from one another’s experiences.
The participating judges, all of whom completed the DLC, came from the National Capital Region and the First to Fifth Judicial Regions. Experts from IPOPHL and WIPO also joined the discussions and shared their insights. The Colloquium and DLC were made possible through the support of the WIPO Australia Funds-In-Trust for Intellectual Property. (Press release courtesy of the SC Office of the Spokesperson)