IPO grants TVJ petition, cancels TAPE's 'Eat Bulaga' trademark

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of the Philippines has canceled the trademark registration of Television and Production Exponents, Inc. (TAPE) for the names "Eat Bulaga" and "EB."

In a 16-page decision released on Tuesday, the IPO ruled in favor of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon, collectively known as TVJ, as the rightful owners of the "Eat Bulaga" trademark after they provided qualified testimony and explanation on the origin of the show's name.

"It is not the application or the registration that confers ownership of a mark, but it is ownership of the mark that confers the right to registration," IPO said.

Meanwhile, according to TAPE Inc.'s legal counsel Atty. Maggie Garduque, their camp has yet to receive a copy of the decision.

"But if this is true, under the rules [TAPE] can appeal this decision to the director of the [Bureau of Legal Affairs] of IPO," Garduque told GMA News Online.

"If still unsatisfied with the decision of the director, they can still appeal it to the director general of the IPO," she added. "[TAPE] will avail of all legal actions/remedies to reverse this decision."

On May 31, TVJ parted ways with TAPE, the producer of "Eat Bulaga." In July, they filed a copyright infringement complaint against the company for using the name "Eat Bulaga."

In response to the complaint, TAPE said they have the "registration of the tradename 'Eat Bulaga' so they cannot file infringement against the registered owner of the trademark."