Counsels

Ruby specializes in intellectual property law. She also has experience in corporate and litigation work and has handled food and drug regulatory matters.

She has over ten (10) years of experience in intellectual property practice, advising clients on the best strategies to obtain and maintain registration and to protect their intellectual property rights in the Philippines. As an experienced litigator, she handles contentious matters such as opposition and cancellation cases, and administrative complaints for violation of intellectual property rights, particularly unfair competition and infringement cases involving trademarks and patents. She advises clients on commercialization of their intellectual property assets to maximize their value, and conducts due diligence and market surveys to aid clients in their decision making.

She also assists clients on government regulatory requirements before the Food and Drug Administration with respect to registration of food and drugs.

Prior to joining C&G Law, Ruby worked in law firms with strong intellectual property practices. She was a junior associate and later on promoted to senior associate at Ortega Bacorro Odulio Calma & Carbonell. She also worked as a senior associate at E.B. Astudillo & Associates.

 Qualifications

• University of Santo Tomas – Faculty of Civil Law, Juris Doctor (Class of 2010); University of Santo Tomas, Bachelor of Arts in Legal Management (Class of 2006, cum laude)
• Admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2011

Experience

Ruby is an experienced intellectual property practitioner with in-depth knowledge in:

• Trademark prosecution and maintenance, including all facets from filing to registration, best practices in addressing office actions, recordal of assignment/merger and other changes in holder’s details, trademark searches, trademark licensing, and filing of declarations of actual use and renewals.
• Trademark litigation and dispute resolution, including trademark opposition, cancellation, infringement, and unfair competition, with extensive experience in negotiating and drafting licensing, coexistence, and compromise agreements.
• Patent prosecution and maintenance, including all facets from filing to registration, best practices in addressing office actions, recordal of assignment/merger and other changes in holder’s details, patent searches, patent licensing, and annuities.
• Patent litigation and dispute resolution, including patent infringement and negotiation and drafting of patent licensing agreements.
• Industrial Design prosecution and maintenance, including all facets from filing to registration, handling of adverse information on published designs, and renewals.
• Copyright matters, including copyright deposit and registration.

Her notable representative works include:

• Concluding a patent infringement case through execution of a patent license agreement with considerable royalty payment terms in favor of a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Osaka, Japan. She also prosecuted patent applications on behalf of the same pharmaceutical company, considered to be the largest in Asia, before the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.
• Securing a favorable judgment declaring as well-known a prominent vehicle brand owned by an American car manufacturing company with headquarters in Michigan, United States. It was held that the brand has gained popularity and reputation among consumers in the Philippines.
• Securing a favorable judgment declaring as well-known a trademark belonging to an American social networking service company with headquarters in San Francisco, California, United States. It was held that the trademark has gained popularity and notoriety apart from the original meaning of the word.
• Securing a favorable judgment in a trademark infringement complaint on behalf of an American clothing company based in Florida, United States. It was held after full-blown trial that respondent’s mark can easily be associated or confused with complainant’s popular mark. Complainant’s mark is covered by registrations worldwide and in the Philippines.

Ruby has also handled corporate and commercial matters. She served as legal secondee for the local subsidiaries of an American multinational confectionery and snack company and of a British multinational pharmaceutical company. She was also involved in legal and regulatory compliance of corporate clients, which includes:

• Filing and monitoring of applications for product registrations and licensing applications as manufacturer, importer/exporter, and/or distributor before the Food and Drug Administration.
• Handling of consumer complaints, including appearance in the mediation or arbitration proceedings and preparation and filing of answers or position papers.
• Advising clients on applicable advertising laws and regulations, reviewing promotional/marketing materials and artworks, and assisting in the preparation of complaints against a competitor or of an answer to a complaint before the Ad Standards Council or the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines.

Memberships

• Member, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (2011-present)
• Member, Philippine Bar Association (2017-present)
• Member, Licensing Executives Society Philippines (2021-present)

Trainings/Courses

• Patent Drafting Course, University of California – San Diego Extension (October 21, 2021 to November 19, 2021)
• Training Course on Practitioners Specializing in Trademarks, Tokyo, Japan, sponsored by The Overseas Human Resources and Industry Development Association (HIDA) in partnership with the Japan Patent Office (December 4 to 15, 2017)
• Qualified Person in Industry Regulatory Affairs (QPIRA) Training, Food and Drug Administration (2013)

Recognition

• Named as Other Key Lawyer for Intellectual Property in The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific (2021 Edition) while at Ortega Bacorro Odulio Calma & Carbonell

Publications

• Co-contributor, Philippines: Intellectual Property, The Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides published in 2020
• Co-author, ‘The Philippines’ in Williams M. (ed) The Political Economy of Competition Law in Asia (Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2013)