The Supreme Court (SC) hosted the National Judicial Colloquium on Intellectual Property Adjudication which brought together special commercial judges nationwide.

The high bench partnered with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the World Intellectual Property Organization.

The colloquium gathered judges who had completed a specialized course on IP and tackled emerging challenges in intellectual property law, with a particular focus on the complexities brought by rapid technological change.

The goal of the program was to strengthen judicial capacity and ensure consistency in court rulings.

Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao, vice chairperson of the SC subcommittee on commercial courts, said effective adjudication of intellectual property cases is a vital safeguard for innovators and creators for whom the Constitution stands guard.

Dimaampao described the two-day event (14 to 15 August) as a “beacon of cooperation and progress” and reaffirmed the SC’s commitment to reinforcing the country’s IP legal framework.

Retired SC Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang, the chancellor of the Philippine Judicial Academy, noted that the program was specifically designed to meet the evolving needs of courts amid a landscape of increasingly complex IP issues.

The colloquium featured hands-on workshops where judges applied lessons from their IP course by working in groups to solve real-world case problems.

The sessions were guided by a roster of national and international experts.

Experts included Justice Cameron Moore of the Federal Court of Australia, who discussed patent law, and Justice Soumen Sen of India’s Calcutta High Court, who provided insights on trademark and copyright adjudication.

Justice Moore stressed the value of sharing perspectives across different jurisdictions, while Justice Sen underscored how IP law in India continues to evolve in response to new challenges.

Participants were encouraged by IPOPHL Director General Brigitte M. da Costa-Villaluz to remain open to different perspectives and to learn from one another’s experiences.