PHILIPPInEs
Anne Mariae Celeste Jumadla
Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan
tHE YEAR
In REVIEW
Patents
medicines, or from the registrants of the brands carrying them, are unnecessary,
as long as these drugs and medicines bear the relevant registered marks. With
Roma Drug v. GlaxosmithKline
this in mind, the Supreme Court cancelled the prosecution of Roma Drug.
Th e National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) seized products identical to
GlaxoSmithKline’s Augmentin, Orbenin, Amoxil and Ampiclox drugs from
trademarks
Roma Drug.
Prosource International v. Horphag Research Management
A case was then fi led against Roma Drug for violation of the Special Law
Horphag Research Management (Horphag) discovered that Prosource
on Counterfeit Drugs (SLCD), Republic Act 8203, which prohibits the sale,
International (Prosource) was distributing a food supplement bearing the
import or possession of counterfeit drugs. Under this statute, an imported
‘Pco-genols’ mark—similar to one sold by Zuellig Pharma Corporation
drug is considered counterfeit if it is not registered with the Bureau of Food
bearing Horphag’s ‘Pycnogenol’ mark. Th is prompted Horphag to demand
and Drugs (BFAD) and the brand is not registered with the Intellectual
that Prosource ‘cease and desist’ from using Pco-genols.
Property Offi ce (IPO).
Without notifying Horphag, Prosource discontinued the use of Pco-genols
Th e seized drugs were considered counterfeit under the SLCD as Roma
and withdrew the products bearing the Pco-genols mark. It also changed its
Drug failed to register the brands with IP Philippines and hadn’t registered
mark from Pco-genols to Pco-Plus.
the products with the BFAD. GlaxoSmithKline had registered the products
with the BFAD.
Horphag fi led a trademark infringement complaint against Prosource,
demanding that it cease and desist from using the brand Pco-genols for
Roma Drug challenged Sections 3(b) 3, 4 and 5 of the SLCD as
being confusingly similar to its trademark Pycnogenol.
unconstitutional. Th e Supreme Court declared them moot following the
passage of the Republic Act (RA) 9502, known as the Universally Accessible
Th e trial court decided in favour of Horphag. Pycnogenol and Pco-genols
Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008.
have the same suffi x (-genol), which appears to be merely descriptive and
so open for trademark registration by combining it with other words. Th e
RA 9502 took eff ect on July 4, 2008, amending certain provisions of the marks, when read, sound confusingly similar, especially since they both refer
Intellectual Property Code, notably Section 72. In the case of drugs and to food supplements. Prosource’s liability was not limited by withdrawing
medicines, the amendment removed importation as among the exclusive products bearing the Pco-genols mark for the market, because from 1996
rights of a patentee, provided for international exhaustion and allowed until June 2000, it infringed Horphag’s product by using the trademark.
parallel importation by private third parties.
Both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals affi rmed the lower
Th e passage of RA 9502 unequivocally grants third parties the right to import court’s decision, stating that the ‘likelihood of confusion’ is the gravamen of
drugs or medicines into the country. Licences from the patentees of the drugs or trademark infringement.
126 World Intellectual Property Review Digest 2009 www.worldipreview.com
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