I. General Overview
Area: 299,700 square kilometers.
Population: Approximately 110 million (2022). Malays make up over 85% of the population, with major ethnic groups including the Tagalog, Ilocos, Pampanga, Visayan, and Bicol. Ethnic minorities and descendants of immigrants include Chinese, Arabs, Indians, Spanish, and Americans, as well as a small number of indigenous peoples. Over 70 languages are spoken. The national language is Filipino, which is based on Tagalog. English is the official language. Approximately 85% of the population is Catholic, 4.9% is Muslim, with a small number of independent Christians and Protestants. The Chinese are mostly Buddhist, and the indigenous peoples mostly practice primitive religions.
The main economic data for 2022 are as follows:
GDP: approximately $404.28 billion
GDP per capita: approximately US $3,498.5
GDP growth rate: 7.2%
Currency: Peso
Exchange rate (July 2023): 1 US dollar ≈ 55 pesos

II. Treaty Membership
1. Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (Paris Convention)
Accession: 1965

2. Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Accession: 2001

3. Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol)
Accession: 2012

III. Trademark Application Procedure and Required Documents
1. Trademark Registrable Elements and Types
Elements that can be registered as trademarks in the Philippines include: text, graphics, symbols, slogans, three-dimensional logos, color combinations, sounds, motion graphics, holograms, etc.
The types of trademarks that can be registered in the Philippines include: trademarks for goods, service marks, collective marks, and certification marks.

2. Filing Routes
1) National filing (direct filing)
2) Madrid International Registration

3. Required Documents
⦁ Trademark registration application form;
⦁ Applicant's name, address and nationality;
⦁ List of goods and/or services;
⦁ Clear representation of the mark;
⦁ Power of attorney;
⦁ A certified copy of the priority document (if priority is claimed).

4. Application Procedure and Timeline
Filing: The 12th edition of the Nice Classification is adopted; multiple-class are possible; the principle of first-to-file is followed.
Examination: Formal examination and substantive examination; 5-6 months.
Publication/Opposition: The opposition period is 30 days
Registration: Approximately 8 months from filing to registration (if smooth)

5. Protection Period and Renewal
The validity period is 10 years from the date of registration and can be renewed for 10 years each time before expiration.

6. Assignment
Allowed for both pending and registered trademarks. A notarized assignment agreement and a power of attorney from the assignee are required, and the process takes approximately 3-6 months.

7. Chang of Name/Address
Allowed for both pending and registered trademarks. Changes in name require a proof of change, while changes in address do not require a proof of change. The processing period is approximately 1-3 months.

8. Cancellation
Cancellation of non-use: If a trademark has not been used for three consecutive years, any interested party may file a cancellation request for the non-use trademark.

IV. Trademark application statistics *:
A: Statistics on total trademark applications:
2020: 34,334
2021: 38,769
2022: 40,314
B: Statistics of trademark applications from China:
2020: 2,754
2021: 3,336
2022: 3,630