LES Philippines

2005 was a busy year for LES Philippines. Throughout the year, LES Philippines continued to make preparations for the 2009 Meeting, conferring with the proposed conference hotel and prospective conference organizers.

The year began with the launch of www.lesphilippines.org, the website of LES Philippines, followed by a seminar entitled Intellectual Property Licensing: A Tool for Expanding Your Business, wherein members who participated in the Train the Trainer Seminar in Tokyo, Japan in 2003 and are thus accredited LES tutors, conducted various exercises from IAM 101 and IAM 103 modules. The newly appointed Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, Atty. Adrian Cristobal, was the guest of honor at the 1st LES Kapihan, or breakfast roundtable. Among the topics discussed and that generated the most discussion was the issue on product registration with the Bureau of Food and Drugs vis-à-vis local trademark registration. The success of the LES Kapihan will surely lead to future fora in the coming year.

The highlight of LES Philippines’ year was the visit of Professor Karl F. Jorda, David Rines Professor of Intellectual Property Law at the Franklin Pierce Law Center, the primary lecturer of the Practical Aspects of Local & International Licensing seminar. Professor Jorda’s lectures were complemented by local resources speakers from both the legal profession and the business sector.

All activities hosted by LES Philippines were and open to current members and non-members of the society alike, with participants from the legal profession, government offices and business sector. As a result of these activities, LES Philippines witnessed a significant increase in its membership.