A leading contender for the top spot in the Philippines' IP rankings, SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan holds a case list that is not only innovative but also representative of the largest cohort of international brands. "Despite the time difference between the Philippines and Argentina, I received a timely and efficient response when urgent matters had to be attended to," says a client. The firm, under key partner Enrique Manuel, is heavily involved in the negotiation of franchise, licence and distributorship agreements of GAP, Marks & Spencer, Accor, Ramada and Swensen's Ice Cream, among others.
However, both Manuel and IP litigator Vida Panganiban-Alindogan consider their patent cancellation defence of Lipitor as the standout case of the last 12 months. The dispute consisted of local challenges against Warner-Lambert, owners of the world's most widely prescribed anti-cholesterol drug, against generics manufacturers. The cancellation action had an added level of complexity as precedents set in identical cases in other jurisdictions were repeatedly cited in this case. In addition, SyCip engages in pre-emptive enforcement measures for clients such as Chanel against confusingly similar marks. "Sycip has always responded to our needs quickly and efficiently," states one client. "When important questions come up, Sycip has always given us the solutions.