TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION ... 3
(1) Basis of the Intellectual Property Law (R.A. 8293, as amended) ... 3
(2) Importance of Adopting Laws protecting Intellectual Property Rights ... 3
(3) Philippine commitment to the GATT-TRIPS agreement ... 3
Tañada vs. Angara, G.R. No. 118295, May 2, 1997 ...3
(4) Did RA 8293 repeal existing laws on intellectual property? ... 3
Mirpuri vs. CA...3
Samson vs. Daway ...3
(5) Intellectual Property Rights – Trademark, Copyright and Patents ... 3
(6) Republic Act No. 8293 – Intellectual Property Law ... 4
II. PRELIMINARY MATTERS ... 4
(1) State Policy Declaration ... 4
Twentieth Century Music Corp. vs. Aiken ...4
Feist Publications, Inc. vs. Rural Television Services Company...4
(2) Effect on International Conventions and on Principle of Reciprocity... 5
Mirpuri vs. CA...5
(3) Coverage of Intellectual Property Rights ... 5
Kho vs. CA,...5
Pearl & Dean Inc. vs. Shoemart Inc ...6
(4) Functions of IPO...6
(5) The Intellectual Property Office ... 6
Pest Management Association of the Philippines vs. Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority...6
III. LAW ON COPYRIGHT ... 6
(1) Definitions ... 6
(2) Protection, when commenced ... 7
(3) Idea/Expression Dichotomy... 7
(4) Works Protected ... 7
(a) Literary or Artistic Works ...7
Columbia Pictures vs. CA, 261 SCRA 144 (1996) ...8
Ching vs. Salinas, G.R. No. 161295, June 29, 2005 ...8
(b) Derivative Works...8
Laktaw vs. Paglinawan, 44 Phil. 855 (1918) ...9
(c) Published Edition of Work...9
(5)Works Not Protected... 9
(a)Unprotected Subject Matter...9
Joaquin, Jr. vs. Drilon, 302 SCRA 225 (1999)...9
(b)Works of Government...9
(6) Copyright or Economic Rights; Ownership ... 10
(a) Copyright or Economic Rights – Sec. 177 ... 10
Pearl & Dean Inc., supra... 10
Filipino Society of Composers vs. Tan, 148 SCRA 461 (1987) ... 10
Maglalang Santos vs., McCullough Printing, 12 SCRA 321 (1964) ... 10
(b) Copyright Ownership... 11
(7) Transfer or Assignment of Copyright... 12
(8) Limitations of Copyright... 12
(a) Limitations On Copyright... 12
(b) Fair Use of Work ... 12
A&M Records Inc. vs. Napster Inc. No. 00-16401 (U.S. Court Decision) ... 13
Habana vs. Robles G.R. No. 131522, July 19, 1999... 13
(c) Work of Architecture ... 13
(d) Reproduction of Published Work... 13
(e) Reprographic Reproduction by Libraries ... 14
(f) Reproduction of Computer Program ... 14
(g) Importation for Personal Purposes... 14
(9) Registration and Deposit with National Library and Supreme Court Library... 14
(10) Moral Rights... 15
(a) Scope of Moral Rights... 15
(b) Breach of Contract ... 15
(c) Waiver of Moral Rights ... 15
(d) Contribution to Collective Work ... 15
(e) Term of Moral Rights ... 15
(11) Rights to Proceed in Subsequent Transfers... 15
(a) Sale or Lease of Work... 15
(12) Rights of Performers, Producers of Sound Recordings and Broadcasting Organizations ... 15
(a) Definitions ... 15
(b) Scope of Performers’ Rights ... 16
(c) Moral Rights of Performers ... 16
(d) Limitation on Performers’ Rights ... 16
(e) Additional Remuneration for Subsequent Communications or Broadcasts... 16
(f) Contract Terms ... 16
(g) Scope of Right on Sound Recordings... 16
(h) Communication to the Public on Sound Recordings... 17
(i) Scope of Right of Broadcasting Organizations... 17
(j) Limitations on Rights ... 17
ABS-CBN vs. Phil. Multi-Media System Inc. ... 17
(13) Term of Protection in General ... 17
(a) Term of Protection ... 17
(i) Joint Authorship... 18
(ii) Anonymous or Pseudonymous Works ... 18
(iii) Works of Applied Art ... 18
(iv) Photographic Works ... 18
(v)Audio-visual Works ... 18
(vi) Calculation of Terms... 18
(b) Term of Protection for Performers, Producers and Broadcasting Organizations ... 18
(14) Infringement... 18
(a) How committed ... 18
Microsoft Corp. vs. Hwang ... 18
Microsoft Corp. vs. Maxicorp Inc... 19
(b) Remedies for Infringement ... 19
Habana vs. Robles... 19
Columbia Pictures Inc. vs. CA, supra... 19
(c) Criminal Penalties ... 19
(d) Affidavit Evidence ... 20
(e) Presumption of Authorship... 20
Bayanihan Music Phils., Inc. vs. BMG Records... 20
(f) International Registration of Works ... 21
(a)For Literary and Artistic Works and Derivative Works ... 21
Pearl & Dean Inc. vs. Shoemart Inc. ... 21
(b) For Performers ... 21
(c) Of Sound Recordings ... 21
I. INTRODUCTION
(1) Basis of the Intellectual Property Law (R.A. 8293, as amended)
Section 2. Declaration of State Policy. - The State recognizes that an effective intellectual and industrial property system is vital to the development of domestic and creative activity, facilitates transfer of technology, attracts foreign investments, and ensures market access for our products. It shall protect and secure the exclusive rights of scientists, inventors, artists and other gifted citizens to their intellectual property and creations, particularly when beneficial to the people, for such periods as provided in this Act.
It is also the policy of the State to streamline administrative procedures of registering patents, trademarks and copyright, to liberalize the registration on the transfer of technology, and to enhance the enforcement of intellectual property rights in the Philippines. (n)
(2) Importance of Adopting Laws protecting Intellectual Property Rights
The use of intellectual property bears a social function. To this end, the State shall promote the diffusion of knowledge and information for the promotion of national development and progress and the common good. (3) Philippine commitment to the GATT-TRIPS agreement
Section 3. International Conventions and Reciprocity. - Any person who is a national or who is domiciled or has a real and effective industrial establishment in a country which is a party to any convention, treaty or agreement relating to intellectual property rights or the repression of unfair competition, to which the Philippines is also a party, or extends reciprocal rights to nationals of the Philippines by law, shall be entitled to benefits to the extent necessary to give effect to any provision of such convention, treaty or reciprocal law, in addition to the rights to which any owner of an intellectual property right is otherwise entitled by this Act. (n)
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was a collection of treaties governing access to the economies of treaty adherents with no institutionalized body administering the agreements or dependable system of dispute settlement. (Tanada vs. Angara)
Tañada vs. Angara, G.R. No. 118295, May 2, 1997
The Philippines joined WTO as a founding member with the goal, as articulated by President Fidel V. Ramos in two letters to the Senate of improving "Philippine access to foreign markets, especially its major trading partners, through the reduction of tariffs on its exports, particularly agricultural and industrial products." The President also saw in the WTO the opening of "new opportunities for the services sector . . . , (the reduction of) costs and uncertainty associated with exporting . . . , and (the attraction of) more investments into the country." Although the Chief Executive did not expressly mention it in his letter, the Philippines — and this is of special interest to the legal profession — will benefit from the WTO system of dispute settlement by judicial adjudication through the independent WTO settlement bodies called (1) Dispute Settlement Panels and (2) Appellate Tribunal. Heretofore, trade disputes were settled mainly through negotiations where solutions were arrived at frequently on the basis of relative bargaining strengths, and where naturally, weak and underdeveloped countries were at a disadvantage.
(4) Did RA 8293 repeal existing laws on intellectual property?
NO. Republic Act 8293 Section 239.1 All Acts and parts of Acts inconsistent herewith, more particularly Republic Act No. 165, as amended; Republic Act No. 166, as amended; and Articles 188 and 189 of the Revised Penal Code; Presidential Decree No. 49, including Presidential Decree No. 285, as amended, are hereby repealed.
Thus, only inconsistent provisions or parts of RA 165, RA 166, PD 49 and PD 285 were repealed. Mirpuri vs. CA G.R. No. 114508, Nov. 19, 1999 Facts: Issues: Held: Samson vs. Daway G.R. Nos. 160054-55, July 21, 2004 Facts:
Samson, owner/proprietor of ITTI Shoes/Mano Shoes Manufactuirng Corporation located at Robinson’s Galleria, EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City, did then and there willfully, unlawfully and feloniously distribute, sell and/or offer for sale CATERPILLAR products such as footwear, garments, clothing, bags, accessories and paraphernalia which are closely identical to and/or colorable imitations of the authentic Caterpillar products and likewise using trademarks, symbols and/or designs as would cause confusion, mistake or deception on the part of the buying public to the damage and prejudice of CATERPILLAR, INC., the prior adopter, user and owner of the following internationally: “CATERPILLAR”, “CAT”, “CATERPILLAR & DESIGN”, “CAT AND DESIGN”, “WALKING MACHINES” and “TRACK-TYPE TRACTOR & DESIGN.”
Caterpillar Inc. sued Samson for unfair competition in RTC. Samson filed a motion to for the quashal of information for lack of jurisdiction. Samson contended that since under Section 170 of R.A. No. 8293, the penalty of imprisonment for unfair competition does not exceed six years, the offense is cognizable by the Municipal Trial Courts and not by the Regional Trial Court, per R.A. No. 7691.
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Under Section 170 of R.A. No. 8293, which took effect on January 1, 1998, the criminal penalty for infringement of registered marks, unfair competition, false designation of origin and false description or representation, is imprisonment from 2 to 5 years and a fine ranging from Fifty Thousand Pesos to Two Hundred Thousand Pesos. (jurisdiction of Municipal Trial Courts)
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Under Section 27 of of R.A. No. 166 (The Trademark Law)
SEC. 27. Jurisdiction of Court of First Instance. – All actions under this Chapter [V – Infringement] and Chapters VI [Unfair Competition] and VII [False Designation of Origin and False Description or Representation], hereof shall be brought before the Court of First Instance.
Issues:
Whether or not R.A. No. 166 was expressly repealed by R.A. No. 8293?
Held:
No, R.A. No. 8293 does not expressly repealed R.A. 166. SEC. 239. Repeals. – 239.1. All Acts and parts of Acts inconsistent herewith, more particularly Republic Act No. 165, as amended; Republic Act No. 166, as amended; and Articles 188 and 189 of the Revised Penal Code; Presidential Decree No. 49, including Presidential Decree No. 285, as amended, are hereby repealed.
Notably, the aforequoted clause did not expressly repeal R.A. No. 166 in its entirety, otherwise, it would not have used the phrases “parts of Acts” and “inconsistent herewith;” and it would have simply stated “Republic Act No. 165, as amended; Republic Act No. 166, as amended; and Articles 188 and 189 of the Revised Penal Code; Presidential Decree No. 49, including Presidential Decree No. 285, as amended are hereby repealed.” It would have removed all doubts that said specific laws had been rendered without force and effect. The use of the phrases “parts of Acts” and “inconsistent herewith” only means that the repeal pertains only to provisions which are repugnant or not susceptible of harmonization with R.A. No. 8293.7 Section 27 of R.A. No. 166, however, is consistent and in harmony with Section 163 of R.A. No. 8293. Had R.A. No. 8293 intended to vest jurisdiction over violations of intellectual property rights with the Metropolitan Trial Courts, it would have expressly stated so under Section 163 thereof.
(5) Intellectual Property Rights – Trademark, Copyright and Patents
Section 4. Definitions. - 4.1. The term "intellectual property rights" consists of:
a) Copyright and Related Rights; b) Trademarks and Service Marks; c) Geographic Indications; d) Industrial Designs; e) Patents;
f) Layout-Designs (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits; and g) Protection of Undisclosed Information (n, TRIPS). (6) Republic Act No. 8293 – Intellectual Property Law
II. PRELIMINARY MATTERS
(1) State Policy Declaration Sec. 2
Section 2. Declaration of State Policy. - The State recognizes that an effective intellectual and industrial property system is vital to the development of domestic and creative activity, facilitates transfer of technology, attracts foreign investments, and ensures market access for our products. It shall protect and secure the exclusive rights of scientists, inventors, artists and other gifted citizens to their intellectual property and creations, particularly when beneficial to the people, for such periods as provided in this Act.
The use of intellectual property bears a social function. To this end, the State shall promote the diffusion of knowledge and information for the promotion of national development and progress and the common good. It is also the policy of the State to streamline administrative procedures of registering patents, trademarks and copyright, to liberalize the registration on the transfer of technology, and to enhance the enforcement of intellectual property rights in the Philippines. (n)
Twentieth Century Music Corp. vs. Aiken 422 U.S. 151
Facts
20Th Century Music Corporation copyrighted songs were received on the radio in Aiken’s food shop from a local broadcasting station, which was licensed by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers to perform the songs, but Aiken had no such license. 20th Century Music then sued Aikenfor copyright infringement. The District Court granted awards, but the Court of Appeals reversed. Issue
Whether the reception of a radio broadcast of a copyrighted musical composition can constitute copyright infringement when the copyright owner has licensed the broadcaster to perform the composition publicly for profit?
Held
Aiken did not infringe upon 20th Century exclusive right, under the Copyright Act, "[t]o perform the copyrighted work publicly for profit," since the radio reception did not constitute a "performance" of the copyrighted songs.
To hold that Aiken "performed" the copyrighted works would obviously result in a wholly unenforceable regime of copyright law, and would also be highly inequitable, since (short of keeping his radio turned off) one in Aiken's position would be unable to protect himself from infringement liability. Such a ruling, moreover, would authorize the sale of an untold number of licenses for what is basically a single rendition of a copyrighted work, thus conflicting with the balanced purpose of the Copyright Act of assuring the composer an adequate return for the value of his composition while, at the same time, protecting the public from oppressive monopolies.
The limited scope of the copyright holder's statutory monopoly, like the limited copyright duration required by the Constitution, reflects a balance of competing claims upon the public interest: creative work is to be encouraged and rewarded, but private motivation must ultimately serve the cause of promoting broad public availability of literature, music, and the other arts. The immediate effect of our copyright law is to secure a fair return for an "author's" creative labor. But the ultimate aim
is, by this incentive, to stimulate artistic creativity for the general public good. "The sole interest of the United States and the primary object in conferring the monopoly," this Court has said, "lie in the general benefits derived by the public from the labors of authors." When technological change has rendered its literal terms ambiguous, the Copyright Act must be construed in light of this basic purpose.
Feist Publications, Inc. vs. Rural Television Services Company 499 U.S. 340, 1991
Facts:
Rural Telephone Service Company is a certified public utility that provides telephone service to several communities in northwest Kansas. It is subject to a state regulation that requires all telephone companies operating in Kansas to issue annually an updated telephone directory. Accordingly, as a condition of its monopoly franchise, Rural publishes a typical telephone directory, consisting of white pages and yellow pages. The white pages list in alphabetical order the names of Rural's subscribers, together with their towns and telephone numbers. The yellow pages list Rural's business subscribers alphabetically by category and feature classified advertisements of various sizes. Rural distributes its directory free of charge to its subscribers, but earns revenue by selling yellow pages advertisements.
Feist Publications, Inc., is a publishing company that specializes in area-wide telephone directories. Unlike a typical directory, which covers only a particular calling area, Feist's area-wide directories cover a much larger geographical range, reducing the need to call directory assistance or consult multiple directories. The Feist directory that is the subject of this litigation covers 11 different telephone service areas in 15 counties and contains 46,878 white pages listings -- compared to Rural's approximately 7,700 listings. Like Rural's directory, Feist's is distributed free of charge and includes both white pages and yellow pages. Feist and Rural compete vigorously for yellow pages advertising.
As the sole provider of telephone service in its service area, Rural obtains subscriber information quite easily. Persons desiring telephone service must apply to Rural and provide their names and addresses; Rural then assigns them a telephone number. Feist is not a telephone company, let alone one with monopoly status, and therefore lacks independent access to any subscriber information. To obtain white pages listings for its area-wide directory, Feist approached each of the 11 telephone companies operating in northwest Kansas and offered to pay for the right to use its white pages listings.
Of the 11 telephone companies, only Rural refused to license its listings to Feist. Rural's refusal created a problem for Feist, as omitting these listings would have left a gaping hole in its area-wide directory, rendering it less attractive to potential yellow pages advertisers.
Unable to license Rural's white pages listings, Feist used them without Rural's consent. Feist began by removing several thousand listings that fell outside the geographic range of its area-wide directory, then hired personnel to investigate the 4,935 that remained. These employees verified [p*344] the data reported by Rural and sought to obtain additional information. As a result, a typical Feist listing includes the individual's street address; most of Rural's listings do not. Notwithstanding these additions, however, 1,309 of the 46,878 listings in Feist's 1983 directory were identical to listings in Rural's 1982-1983 white pages. Four of these were fictitious listings that Rural had inserted into its directory to detect copying.
Rural sued for copyright infringement in the District Court for the District of Kansas taking the position that Feist, in compiling its own directory, could not use the information contained in Rural's white pages. Rural asserted that Feist's employees were obliged to travel door-to-door or conduct a telephone survey to discover the same information for themselves. Feist responded that such efforts were economically impractical and, in any event, unnecessary because the information copied was beyond the scope of copyright protection.
Issues:
Whether or not Telephone directories are copyrightable or not? Held:
The court rule that facts are not copyrightable; the other, that compilations of facts generally are. There can be no valid copyright in facts is universally understood. The most fundamental axiom of copyright law is that "no author may copyright his ideas or the facts he narrates." Rural wisely concedes this point, noting in its brief that "facts and discoveries, of course, are not themselves subject to copyright
protection." However, it is beyond dispute that compilations of facts are within the subject matter of copyright. Compilations were expressly mentioned in the Copyright Act of 1909, and again in the Copyright Act of 1976.
Notes
On what basis may one claim a copyright in such a work?
Common sense tells us that 100 uncopyrightable facts do not magically change their status when gathered together in one place. Yet copyright law seems to contemplate that compilations that consist exclusively of facts are potentially within its scope.
Facts are not copyrightable. The sine qua non of copyright is originality. To qualify for copyright protection, a work must be original to the author. See Harper Original, as the term is used in copyright, means only that the work was independently created by the author (as opposed to copied from other works), and that it possesses at least some minimal degree of creativity. To be sure, the requisite level of creativity is extremely low; even a slight amount will suffice. The vast majority of works make the grade quite easily, as they possess some creative spark, "no matter how crude, humble or obvious" it might be.
Why facts are not copyrightable?
No one may claim originality as to facts. This is because facts do not owe their origin to an act of authorship. The distinction is one between creation and discovery: the first person to find and report a particular fact has not created the fact; he or she has merely discovered its existence. One who discovers a fact is not its "maker" or "originator." The discoverer merely finds and records.
Illustrative Example
Census-takers do not "create" the population figures that emerge from their efforts; in a sense, they copy these figures from the world around them. Census data therefore do not trigger copyright because these data are not "original" in the constitutional sense. The same is true of all facts -- scientific, historical, biographical, and news of the day. "They may not be copyrighted and are part of the public domain available to every person."
Factual compilations, on the other hand, may possess the requisite originality. The compilation author typically chooses which facts to include, in what order to place them, and how to arrange the collected data so that they may be used effectively by readers. These choices as to selection and arrangement, so long as they are made independently by the compiler and entail a minimal degree of creativity, are sufficiently original that Congress may protect such compilations through the copyright laws. Thus, even a directory that contains absolutely no protectible written expression, only facts, meets the constitutional minimum for copyright protection if it features an original selection or arrangement.
Originality does not signify novelty; a work may be original even though it closely resembles other works so long as the similarity is fortuitous, not the result of copying. To illustrate, assume that two poets, each ignorant of the other, compose identical poems. Neither work is novel, yet both are original and, hence, copyrightable.
Originality requires independent creation plus a modicum of creativity: "While the word writings may be liberally construed, as it has been, to include original designs for engraving, prints, &c., it is only such as are original, and are founded in the creative powers of the mind. The writings which are to be protected are the fruits of intellectual labor, embodied in the form of books, prints, engravings, and the like."
Author - in a constitutional sense is to mean "he to whom anything owes its origin; originator; maker”.
(2) Effect on International Conventions and on Principle of Reciprocity
Sec. 3 & 231
Section 3. International Conventions and Reciprocity. - Any person who is a national or who is domiciled or has a real and effective industrial establishment in a country which is a party to any convention, treaty or agreement relating to intellectual property rights or the repression of unfair competition, to which the Philippines is also a party, or extends
reciprocal rights to nationals of the Philippines by law, shall be entitled to benefits to the extent necessary to give effect to any provision of such convention, treaty or reciprocal law, in addition to the rights to which any owner of an intellectual property right is otherwise entitled by this Act. (n)
Section 231. Reverse Reciprocity of Foreign Laws. - Any condition, restriction, limitation, diminution, requirement, penalty or any similar burden imposed by the law of a foreign country on a Philippine national seeking protection of intellectual property rights in that country, shall reciprocally be enforceable upon nationals of said country, within Philippine jurisdiction. (n) Mirpuri vs. CA G.R. No. 114508, Nov. 19, 1999 Facts Issues Held
(3) Coverage of Intellectual Property Rights Sec. 4.1
Section 4. Definitions. - 4.1. The term "intellectual property rights" consists of:
a) Copyright and Related Rights; b) Trademarks and Service Marks; c) Geographic Indications; d) Industrial Designs; e) Patents;
f) Layout-Designs (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits; and g) Protection of Undisclosed Information (n, TRIPS). Kho vs. CA,
G.R. No. 115758, March 19, 2002 Facts
Kho is doing business under the name and style of KEC Cosmetics Laboratory, the registered owner of the copyrights Chin Chun Su and Oval Facial Cream Container/Case, that she also has patent rights on Chin Chun Su & Device and Chin Chun Su for medicated cream after purchasing the same from Quintin Cheng, the registered owner thereof in the Supplemental Register of the Philippine Patent Office.
Summerville advertised and sold Kho’s cream products under the brand name Chin Chun Su, in similar containers that Kho uses, thereby misleading the public, and resulting in the decline in the Kho’s business sales and income; and, that the Summerville should be enjoined from allegedly infringing on the copyrights and patents of the Kho.
Summerville on the other hand, alleged as their defense that they are the exclusive and authorized importer, re-packer and distributor of Chin Chun Su products manufactured by Shun Yi Factory of Taiwan; that the said Taiwanese manufacturing company authorized Summerville to register its trade name Chin Chun Su Medicated Cream with the Philippine Patent Office and other appropriate governmental agencies; that KEC Cosmetics Laboratory of the of Kho obtained the copyrights through misrepresentation and falsification; and, that the authority of Quintin Cheng, assignee of the patent registration certificate, to distribute and market Chin Chun Su products in the Philippines had already been terminated by the said Taiwanese Manufacturing Company.
On December 20, 1991, Elidad C. Kho filed a complaint for injunction and damages with a prayer for the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction, against the Summerville General Merchandising and Company (Summerville, for brevity) and Ang Tiam Chay.
Issues
Whether the copyright and patent over the name and container of a beauty cream product would entitle the registrant to the use and ownership over the same to the exclusion of others?
Held
Trademark, copyright and patents are different intellectual property rights that cannot be interchanged with one another. A trademark is any visible sign capable of distinguishing the goods (trademark) or services (service mark) of an enterprise and shall include a stamped or marked container of goods. In relation thereto, a trade name means the name or designation identifying or distinguishing an enterprise. Meanwhile, the scope of a copyright is confined to literary and
artistic works which are original intellectual creations in the literary and artistic domain protected from the moment of their creation. Patentable inventions, on the other hand, refer to any technical solution of a problem in any field of human activity which is new, involves an inventive step and is industrially applicable.
Kho has no right to support her claim for the exclusive use of the subject trade name and its container. The name and container of a beauty cream product are proper subjects of a trademark inasmuch as the same falls squarely within its definition. In order to be entitled to exclusively use the same in the sale of the beauty cream product, the user must sufficiently prove that she registered or used it before anybody else did. The petitioner’s copyright and patent registration of the name and container would not guarantee her right to the exclusive use of the same for the reason that they are not appropriate subjects of the said intellectual rights. Consequently, a preliminary injunction order cannot be issued for the reason that the petitioner has not proven that she has a clear right over the said name and container to the exclusion of others, not having proven that she has registered a trademark thereto or used the same before anyone did.
Pearl & Dean Inc. vs. Shoemart Inc G.R. No. 148222, August 15, 2003 Facts Issues Held (4) Functions of IPO Sec. 5
Section 5. Functions of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). - 5.1. To administer and implement the State policies declared in this Act, there is hereby created the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) which shall have the following functions:
a) Examine applications for grant of letters patent for inventions and register utility models and industrial designs;
b) Examine applications for the registration of marks, geographic indication, integrated circuits;
c) Register technology transfer arrangements and settle disputes involving technology transfer payments covered by the provisions of Part II, Chapter IX on Voluntary Licensing and develop and implement strategies to promote and facilitate technology transfer;
d) Promote the use of patent information as a tool for technology development;
e) Publish regularly in its own publication the patents, marks, utility models and industrial designs, issued and approved, and the technology transfer arrangements registered;
f) Administratively adjudicate contested proceedings affecting intellectual property rights; and
g) Coordinate with other government agencies and the private sector efforts to formulate and implement plans and policies to strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights in the country.
5.2. The Office shall have custody of all records, books, drawings, specifications, documents, and other papers and things relating to intellectual property rights applications filed with the Office. (n)
(5) The Intellectual Property Office Sec. 6.2
Section 6.2. The Office shall be divided into six (6) Bureaus, each of which shall be headed by a Director and assisted by an Assistant Director. These Bureaus are:
a) The Bureau of Patents; b) The Bureau of Trademarks; c) The Bureau of Legal Affairs;
d) The Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau; e) The Management Information System and EDP Bureau; and f) The Administrative, Financial and Personnel Services Bureau.
Pest Management Association of the Philippines vs. Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority
G.R. No. 156041, February 21, 2007 Facts
The case commenced upon PMAP’s filing of a Petition For Declaratory Relief With Prayer For Issuance Of A Writ Of Preliminary Injunction And/Or Temporary Restraining Order with the RTC on January 4, 2002. Petitioner, a non-stock corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the Philippines, is an association of pesticide handlers duly licensed by respondent Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA). It questioned the validity of Section 3.12 of the 1987 Pesticide Regulatory Policies and Implementing Guidelines, which provides thus:
3.12 Protection of Proprietary Data
Data submitted to support the first full or conditional registration of a pesticide active ingredient in the Philippines will be granted proprietary protection for a period of seven years from the date of such registration. During this period subsequent registrants may rely on these data only with third party authorization or otherwise must submit their own data. After this period, all data may be freely cited in support of registration by any applicant, provided convincing proof is submitted that the product being registered is identical or substantially similar to any current registered pesticide, or differs only in ways that would not significantly increase the risk of unreasonable adverse effects.
Issues
Whether or not FPA encroach upon the jurisdiction of the Intellectual Property Office?
Held
There is no encroachment upon the powers of the IPO granted under R.A. No. 8293, otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. Section 5 thereof enumerates the functions of the IPO. Nowhere in said provision does it state nor can it be inferred that the law intended the IPO to have the exclusive authority to protect or promote intellectual property rights in the Philippines. On the contrary, paragraph (g) of said Section even provides that the IPO shall "[c]oordinate with other government agencies and the private sector efforts to formulate and implement plans and policies to strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights in the country." Clearly, R.A. No. 8293 recognizes that efforts to fully protect intellectual property rights cannot be undertaken by the IPO alone. Other agencies dealing with intellectual property rights are, therefore, not precluded from issuing policies, guidelines and regulations to give protection to such rights.
Lastly, FPA emphasize that the provision on protection of proprietary data does not usurp the functions of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) since a patent and data protection are two different matters. A patent prohibits all unlicensed making, using and selling of a particular product, while data protection accorded by the FPA merely prevents copying or unauthorized use of an applicant's data, but any other party may independently generate and use his own data. It is further argued that under Republic Act No. 8293 (R.A. No. 8293), the grant of power to the IPO to administer and implement State policies on intellectual property is not exclusionary as the IPO is even allowed to coordinate with other government agencies to formulate and implement plans and policies to strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights.
III. LAW ON COPYRIGHT
(1) Definitions Sec. 171 – 171.10
Section 171. Definitions. - For the purpose of this Act, the following terms have the following meaning:
171.1. "Author" is the natural person who has created the work; 171.2. A "collective work" is a work which has been created by two (2) or more natural persons at the initiative and under the direction of another with the understanding that it will be disclosed by the latter under his own name and that contributing natural persons will not be identified;
171.3. "Communication to the public" or "communicate to the public" means the making of a work available to the public by wire or wireless means in such a way that members of the public may access these works from a place and time individually chosen by them;
171.4. A "computer" is an electronic or similar device having information-processing capabilities, and a "computer program" is a set of instructions expressed in words, codes, schemes or in any other form, which is capable when incorporated in a medium that the computer can read, of causing the computer to perform or achieve a particular task or result; 171.5. "Public lending" is the transfer of possession of the original or a copy of a work or sound recording for a limited period, for non-profit purposes, by an institution the services of which are available to the public, such as public library or archive;
171.6. "Public performance", in the case of a work other than an audiovisual work, is the recitation, playing, dancing, acting or otherwise performing the work, either directly or by means of any device or process; in the case of an audiovisual work, the showing of its images in sequence and the making of the sounds accompanying it audible; and, in the case of a sound recording, making the recorded sounds audible at a place or at places where persons outside the normal circle of a family and that family's closest social acquaintances are or can be present, irrespective of whether they are or can be present at the same place and at the same time, or at different places and/or at different times, and where the performance can be perceived without the need for communication within the meaning of Subsection 171.3;
171.7. "Published works" means works, which, with the consent of the authors, are made available to the public by wire or wireless means in such a way that members of the public may access these works from a place and time individually chosen by them: Provided, That availability of such copies has been such, as to satisfy the reasonable requirements of the public, having regard to the nature of the work;
171.8. "Rental" is the transfer of the possession of the original or a copy of a work or a sound recording for a limited period of time, for profit-making purposes;
171.9. "Reproduction" is the making of one (1) or more copies of a work or a sound recording in any manner or form (Sec. 41 (E), P.D. No. 49 a); 171.10. A "work of applied art" is an artistic creation with utilitarian functions or incorporated in a useful article, whether made by hand or produced on an industrial scale;
171.11. A "work of the Government of the Philippines" is a work created by an officer or employee of the Philippine Government or any of its subdivisions and instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations as a part of his regularly prescribed official duties. (2) Protection, when commenced
Sec. 172.2
Section 172.2. Works are protected by the sole fact of their creation, irrespective of their mode or form of expression, as well as of their content, quality and purpose. (Sec. 2, P.D. No. 49a).
(3) Idea/Expression Dichotomy Sec. 175
Section 175. Unprotected Subject Matter. - Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 172 and 173, no protection shall extend, under this law, to any idea, procedure, system, method or operation, concept, principle, discovery or mere data as such, even if they are expressed, explained, illustrated or embodied in a work; news of the day and other miscellaneous facts having the character of mere items of press information; or any official text of a legislative, administrative or legal nature, as well as any official translation thereof (n)
Note: Ideas are the building blocks of creative expression. They will differ with the particular subject matter involved.
(4) Works Protected (a) Literary or Artistic Works
Sec. 172- 172.2
Section 172. Literary and Artistic Works. - 172.1. Literary and artistic works, hereinafter referred to as "works", are original intellectual creations in the literary and artistic domain protected from the moment of their creation and shall include in particular:
(a) Books, pamphlets, articles and other writings; (b) Periodicals and newspapers;
(c) Lectures, sermons, addresses, dissertations prepared for oral delivery, whether or not reduced in writing or other material form; (d) Letters;
Note: Requisite: For short message sending (sms) or text messages sufficient intellectual effort.
(e) Dramatic or dramatico-musical compositions; choreographic works or entertainment in dumb shows;
Note: Laban notation – transcription of choreographic notes (f) Musical compositions, with or without words;
Note: With or Without words – because there two separate rights for the composition and lyrics.
(g) Works of drawing, painting, architecture, sculpture, engraving, lithography or other works of art; models or designs for works of art; Note: Furnitures have functional purpose. Ching Case:
(h) Original ornamental designs or models for articles of manufacture, whether or not registrable as an industrial design, and other works of applied art;
(i) Illustrations, maps, plans, sketches, charts and three-dimensional works relative to geography, topography, architecture or science; (j) Drawings or plastic works of a scientific or technical character; (k) Photographic works including works produced by a process analogous to photography; lantern slides;
(l) Audiovisual works and cinematographic works and works produced by a process analogous to cinematography or any process for making audio-visual recordings;
(m) Pictorial illustrations and advertisements; (n) Computer programs; and
Note: Computer program are copyrightable in this jurisdiction but not patentable.
(o) Other literary, scholarly, scientific and artistic works.
172.2. Works are protected by the sole fact of their creation, irrespective of their mode or form of expression, as well as of their content, quality and purpose. (Sec. 2, P.D. No. 49a)
Notes
When work is created?
A work is created when two requirements are Originality and some form of expression.
The work must have their origin in the labor of the author.
Original as the term is used in copyright means only that the work was independently created by the author (as opposed to copied from the other works) and that it possess at least some minimal degree of creativity. The distinction is one between creation and discovery: the fist to person to find a particular fact has not created the fact: he or she ha merely discovered its existence.
However, it is not necessary, to qualify for copyright protection, that works should pass a test of imaginativeness.
The right to obtain a copyright on a book depends on originality of the author’s work and not upon any standard of merit.
2nd Requirement: Expression
In order for a work to be entitled protection, there must at least be some verifiable expression of the intellectual product.
Idea is not protected, only the expression.
There is creation when an idea is expressed in some tangible medium. Columbia Pictures vs. CA, 261 SCRA 144 (1996)
Facts
Columbia Pictures lodged a formal complaint with the National Bureau of Investigation for violation of PD No. 49, as amended, and sought its assistance in their anti-film piracy drive. Agents of the NBI and private researchers made discreet surveillance on various video establishments in Metro Manila including Sunshine Home Video Inc. owned and operated by Danilo A. Pelindario.
On November 14, 1987, NBI Senior Agent Lauro C. Reyes applied for a search warrant with the court a quo against Sunshine seeking the seizure, among others, of pirated video tapes of copyrighted films all of which were enumerated in a list attached to the application; and, television sets, video cassettes and/or laser disc recordings equipment and other machines and paraphernalia used or intended to be used in the unlawful exhibition, showing, reproduction, sale, lease or disposition of videograms tapes in the premises above described. In the hearing of the application, NBI Senior Agent Lauro C. Reyes, upon questions by the court a quo, reiterated in substance his averments in his affidavit. His testimony was corroborated by another witness, Mr. Rene C. Baltazar. Atty. Rico V. Domingo’s deposition was also taken. On the basis of the affidavits and depositions of NBI Senior Agent Lauro C. Reyes, Rene C. Baltazar and Atty. Rico V. Domingo, Search Warrant No 87-053 for violation of Section 56 of PD No. 49, as amended, was issued by the court a quo.
NBI Agents found and seized various video tapes of duly copyrighted motion pictures/films owned or exclusively distributed by private complainants, and machines, equipment, television sets, paraphernalia, materials, accessories all of which were included in the receipt for properties accomplished by the raiding team. Copy of the receipt was furnished and/or tendered to Mr. Danilo A. Pelindario, registered owner-proprietor of Sunshine Home Video.
Issues
Whether or not absence such registration, as in this case, there was no right created, hence, no infringement under PD 49 as amended? Held
As correctly pointed out by private complainants-oppositors, the Department of Justice has resolved this legal question as far back as December 12, 1978 in its Opinion No. 191 of the then Secretary of Justice Vicente Abad Santos which stated that Sections 26 and 50 do not apply to cinematographic works and PD No. 49 “had done away with the registration and deposit of cinematographic works” and that “even without prior registration and deposit of a work which may be entitled to protection under the Decree, the creator can file action for infringement of its rights.” He cannot demand, however, payment of damages arising from infringement. The same opinion stressed that “the requirements of registration and deposit are thus retained under the Decree, not as conditions for the acquisition of copyright and other rights, but as prerequisites to a suit for damages.” The statutory interpretation of the Executive Branch being correct, is entitled (to) weight and respect.
Furthermore, a closer review of Presidential Decree No. 49 reveals that even with respect to works which are required under Section 26 thereof to be registered and with copies to be deposited with the National Library, such as books, including composite and cyclopedic works, manuscripts, directories and gazetteers; and periodicals, including pamphlets and newspapers; lectures, sermons, addresses, dissertations prepared for oral delivery; and letters, the failure to comply with said requirements does not deprive the copyright owner of the right to sue for infringement. Such non-compliance merely limits the remedies available to him and subjects him to the corresponding sanction.
The reason for this is expressed in Section 2 of the decree which prefaces its enumeration of copyrightable works with the explicit statement that “the rights granted under this Decree shall, from the moment of creation, subsist with respect to any of the following classes of works.” This means that under the present state of the law, the copyright for a work is acquired by an intellectual creator from the moment of creation even in the absence of registration and deposit. As has been authoritatively clarified:
The registration and deposit of two complete copies or reproductions of the work with the National Library within three weeks after the first public dissemination or performance of the work, as
provided for in Section 26 (P.D. No. 49, as amended), is not for the purpose of securing a copyright of the work, but rather to avoid the penalty for non-compliance of the deposit of said two copies and in order to recover damages in an infringement suit.
Ching vs. Salinas, G.R. No. 161295, June 29, 2005 Facts
Jessie G. Ching is the owner and general manager of Jeshicris Manufacturing Co., the maker and manufacturer of a Utility Model, described as “Leaf Spring Eye Bushing for Automobile” made up of plastic.
On September 4, 2001, Ching and Joseph Yu were issued by the National Library Certificates of Copyright Registration and Deposit of the said work described therein as “Leaf Spring Eye Bushing for Automobile.”
On September 20, 2001, Ching requested the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for police/investigative assistance for the apprehension and prosecution of illegal manufacturers, producers and/or distributors of the works.
After due investigation, the NBI filed applications for search warrants in the RTC of Manila against William Salinas, Sr. and the officers and members of the Board of Directors of Wilaware Product Corporation. It was alleged that the respondents therein reproduced and distributed the said models penalized under Sections 177.1 and 177.3 of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 8293.
Issues
Whether or not the subject matter is covered by the Copyright of the Intellectual Property Code?
Held
It is worthy to state that the works protected under the Law on Copyright are: literary or artistic works (Sec. 172) and derivative works (Sec. 173). The Leaf Spring Eye Bushing and Vehicle Bearing Cushion fall on neither classification.
Being plain automotive spare parts that must conform to the original structural design of the components they seek to replace, the Leaf Spring Eye Bushing and Vehicle Bearing Cushion are not ornamental. They lack the decorative quality or value that must characterize authentic works of applied art. They are not even artistic creations with incidental utilitarian functions or works incorporated in a useful article. In actuality, the personal properties described in the search warrants are mechanical works, the principal function of which is utility sans any aesthetic embellishment.
Neither are we to regard the Leaf Spring Eye Bushing and Vehicle Bearing Cushion as included in the catch-all phrase “other literary, scholarly, scientific and artistic works” in Section 172.1(a) of R.A. No. 8293. Applying the principle of ejusdem generis which states that “where a statute describes things of a particular class or kind accompanied by words of a generic character, the generic word will usually be limited to things of a similar nature with those particularly enumerated, unless there be something in the context of the state which would repel such inference,”[46] the Leaf Spring Eye Bushing and Vehicle Bearing Cushion are not copyrightable, being not of the same kind and nature as the works enumerated in Section 172 of R.A. No. 8293. (b) Derivative Works
Sec. 173
Section 173. Derivative Works. - 173.1. The following derivative works shall also be protected by copyright:
(a) Dramatizations, translations, adaptations, abridgments, arrangements, and other alterations of literary or artistic works; and (b) Collections of literary, scholarly or artistic works, and compilations of data and other materials which are original by reason of the selection or coordination or arrangement of their contents. (Sec. 2, [P] and [Q], P.D. No. 49)
173.2. The works referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of Subsection 173.1 shall be protected as new works: Provided however, That such new work shall not affect the force of any subsisting copyright upon the original works employed or any part thereof, or be construed to imply any right to such use of the original works, or to secure or extend copyright in such original works. (Sec. 8, P.D. 49; Art. 10, TRIPS)
Note: Derivative works are original work. There must be compliance of the requirements: 1. must borrow the original and expressive content
2. the work must alter not merely copy. / must have substantial variation Article 5 of civil code.
No right can spring from an unlawful act. Laktaw vs. Paglinawan, 44 Phil. 855 (1918) Facts
Laktaw is the registered owner and author of a literary work entitled Diccionario Hispano-Tagalog (Spanish-Tagalog Dictionary) published in the City of Manila in 1889 by the printing establishment La Opinion.
Paglinawan without the consent of Laktaw, reproduced said literary work, improperly copied the greater part thereof in the work published by him and entitled Diccionariong Kastila-Tagalog (Spanish-Tagalog Dictionary).
The act of Pagliwanan is a violation of article 7 of the Law of January 10, 1879, on Intellectual Property, caused irreparable injuries to Laktaw who was surprised when, on publishing his new work entitled Diccionario Tagalog-Hispano (Tagalog-Spanish Dictionary) he learned of the fact, and (4) that the damages occasioned to him by the publication of Paglinawan's work amounted to $10,000. Laktaw prayed the court to order the Paglinawan to withdraw from sale all stock of the work of Paglinawan to pay him the sum of $10,000, with costs.
Paglinawan in his answer denied generally each and every allegation of the complaint and prayed the court to absolve him from the complaint.
Law
Article 7 of the Law of January 10, 1879, on Intellectual Property: Nobody may reproduce another person's work without the owner's consent, even merely to annotate or add anything to it, or improve any edition thereof.
Issue
Whether or not Paglinawan violated Article 7 of the Intellectual Property Law (1879)?
Held
Yes, Paglinawan violated Article 7 of Intellectual Property Law. It is not necessary that a work should be an improper copy of another work previously published. It is enough that another's work has been reproduced without the consent of the owner, even though it be only to annotate, add something to it, or improve any edition thereof. (c) Published Edition of Work
Sec. 174
Section 174. Published Edition of Work. - In addition to the right to publish granted by the author, his heirs, or assigns, the publisher shall have a copyright consisting merely of the right of reproduction of the typographical arrangement of the published edition of the work. (n) Note: Separate right of the publisher exclusively on typographical arrangement.
(5)Works Not Protected Sec. 175
(a)Unprotected Subject Matter Sec. 175
Section 175. Unprotected Subject Matter. - Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 172 and 173, no protection shall extend, under this law, to any idea, procedure, system, method or operation, concept, principle, discovery or mere data as such, even if they are expressed, explained, illustrated or embodied in a work; news of the day and other miscellaneous facts having the character of mere items of press information; or any official text of a legislative, administrative or legal nature, as well as any official translation thereof (n)
Joaquin, Jr. vs. Drilon, 302 SCRA 225 (1999) Facts
Petitioner BJ Productions, Inc. (BJPI) is the holder/grantee of Certificate of Copyright No. M922, dated January 28, 1971, of Rhoda and Me, a dating game show aired from 1970 to 1977.
On June 28, 1973, petitioner BJPI submitted to the National Library an addendum to its certificate of copyright specifying the show’s format and style of presentation.
On July 14, 1991, while watching television, petitioner Francisco Joaquin, Jr., president of BJPI, saw on RPN Channel 9 an episode of It’s a Date, which was produced by IXL Productions, Inc. (IXL). On July 18, 1991, he wrote a letter to private respondent Gabriel M. Zosa, president and general manager of IXL, informing Zosa that BJPI had a copyright to Rhoda and Me and demanding that IXL discontinue airing It’s a Date.
In a letter, dated July 19, 1991, private respondent Zosa apologized to petitioner Joaquin and requested a meeting to discuss a possible settlement. IXL, however, continued airing It’s a Date, prompting petitioner Joaquin to send a second letter on July 25, 1991 in which he reiterated his demand and warned that, if IXL did not comply, he would endorse the matter to his attorneys for proper legal action.
Meanwhile, private respondent Zosa sought to register IXL’s copyright to the first episode of “It’s a Date” for which it was issued by the National Library a certificate of copyright on August 14, 1991.
Upon complaint of petitioners, information for violation of P.D. No. 49 was filed against private respondent Zosa together with certain officers of RPN Channel 9, namely, William Esposo, Felipe Medina, and Casey Francisco, in the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City.
Issue
Whether the format or mechanics of Joaquin’s television show is entitled to copyright protection?
Held
No, the format or mechanics of a television show is not included in the list of protected works in §2 of P.D. No. 49. For this reason, the protection afforded by the law cannot be extended to cover them.
The essence of copyright infringement is the copying, in whole or in part, of copyrightable materials as defined and enumerated in Section 2 of PD. No. 49. Apart from the manner in which it is actually expressed, however, the idea of a dating game show is, in the opinion of this Office, a non-copyrightable material. Ideas, concepts, formats, or schemes in their abstract form clearly do not fall within the class of works or materials susceptible of copyright registration as provided in PD. No. 49.
Copyright, in the strict sense of the term, is purely a statutory right. It is a new or independent right granted by the statute, and not simply a pre-existing right regulated by the statute. Being a statutory grant, the rights are only such as the statute confers, and may be obtained and enjoyed only with respect to the subjects and by the persons, and on terms and conditions specified in the statute.
P.D. No. 49, §2, in enumerating what are subject to copyright, refers to finished works and not to concepts. The copyright does not extend to an idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery, regardless of the form in which it is described, explained, illustrated, or embodied in such work.
What then is the subject matter of petitioners’ copyright?
TheCourt is of the opinion that petitioner BJPI’s copyright covers audio-visual recordings of each episode of Rhoda and Me, as falling within the class of works mentioned in P.D. 49, §2(M), to wit:
Cinematographic works and works produced by a process analogous to cinematography or any process for making audio-visual recordings; Law
Sec. 175. Unprotected Subject Matter. - Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 172 and 173, no protection shall extend, under this law, to any idea, procedure, system, method or operation, concept, principle, discovery or mere data as such, even if they are expressed, explained, illustrated or embodied in a work; news of the day and other miscellaneous facts having the character of mere items of press information; or any official text of a legislative, administrative or legal nature, as well as any official translation thereof.
(b)Works of Government Sec. 176; 171.11
Section 176. Works of the Government. - 176.1. No copyright shall subsist in any work of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency or office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit. Such agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment of royalties. No prior approval or conditions shall be required for the use of any purpose of statutes, rules and regulations, and speeches, lectures, sermons, addresses, and dissertations, pronounced, read or rendered in courts of justice, before administrative agencies, in deliberative assemblies and in meetings of public character. (Sec. 9, first par., P.D. No. 49)
176.2. The author of speeches, lectures, sermons, addresses, and dissertations mentioned in the preceding paragraphs shall have the exclusive right of making a collection of his works. (n)
176.3. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the Government is not precluded from receiving and holding copyrights transferred to it by assignment, bequest or otherwise; nor shall publication or republication by the Government in a public document of any work in which copyright is subsisting be taken to cause any abridgment or annulment of the copyright or to authorize any use or appropriation of such work without the consent of the copyright owner. (Sec. 9, third par., P.D. No. 49) 171.11. A "work of the Government of the Philippines" is a work created by an officer or employee of the Philippine Government or any of its subdivisions and instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations as a part of his regularly prescribed official duties. (6) Copyright or Economic Rights; Ownership
(a) Copyright or Economic Rights – Sec. 177
Note: Copyright - economic right / moral rights - “right to paternity”. Section 177. Copyright or Economic Rights. - Subject to the provisions of Chapter VIII, copyright or economic rights shall consist of the exclusive right to carry out, authorize or prevent the following acts:
177.1. Reproduction of the work or substantial portion of the work; 177.2. Dramatization, translation, adaptation, abridgment, arrangement or other transformation of the work;
177.3. The first public distribution of the original and each copy of the work by sale or other forms of transfer of ownership;
177.4. Rental of the original or a copy of an audiovisual or cinematographic work, a work embodied in a sound recording, a computer program, a compilation of data and other materials or a musical work in graphic form, irrespective of the ownership of the original or the copy which is the subject of the rental; (n)
177.5. Public display of the original or a copy of the work; 177.6. Public performance of the work; and
177.7. Other communication to the public of the work. (Sec. 5, P. D. No. 49a)
Statutory Right – the right is limited to what the statute confers. Pearl & Dean Inc., supra
Facts Issues Law Held
Filipino Society of Composers vs. Tan, 148 SCRA 461 (1987) Facts
Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Inc. is organization under the Corporation Law of the Philippines and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The association is the owner of certain musical compositions among which are the songs entitled: "Dahil Sa Iyo", "Sapagkat Ikaw Ay Akin," "Sapagkat Kami Ay Tao Lamang" and "The Nearness Of You."
Benjamin Tan on the other hand is the operator of a restaurant known as "Alex Soda Foundation and Restaurant" where a combo with professional singers, hired to play and sing musical compositions to entertain and amuse customers therein, were playing and singing the above-mentioned compositions without any license or permission from
the appellant to play or sing the same. Accordingly, appellant demanded from the appellee payment of the necessary license fee for the playing and singing of aforesaid compositions but the demand was ignored.
Tan’s Argument: That the mere singing and playing of songs and popular tunes even if they are copyrighted do not constitute an infringement (Record on Appeal, p. 11; Resolution, CA-G.R. NO. 46373-R, Rollo, pp. 32-36) under the provisions of Section 3 of the Copyright Law (Act 3134 of the Philippine Legislature).
Issues
1. Whether or not the playing and singing of musical compositions which have been copyrighted under the provisions of the Copyright Law (Act 3134) inside the establishment of Benjamin Tan constitute a public performance for profit within the meaning and contemplation of the Copyright Law of the Philippines? 2. Assuming that there were indeed public performances for profit, whether or not Benjamin Tan can be held liable therefore.
Held 1st issue:
Yes.
The playing of music in dine and dance establishment which was paid for by the public in purchases of food and drink constituted "performance for profit" within a Copyright Law (Buck, et al. v. Russon No. 4489 25 F. Supp. 317).
2nd issue:
The Supreme Court has ruled that "Paragraph 33 of Patent Office Administrative Order No. 3 (as amended, dated September 18, 1947) entitled 'Rules of Practice in the Philippines Patent Office relating to the Registration of Copyright Claims' promulgated pursuant to Republic Act 165, provides among other things that an intellectual creation should be copyrighted thirty (30) days after its publication, if made in Manila, or within the (60) days if made elsewhere, failure of which renders such creation public property." (Santos v. McCullough Printing Company, 12 SCRA 324-325 [1964]. Indeed, if the general public has made use of the object sought to be copyrighted for thirty (30) days prior to the copyright application the law deems the object to have been donated to the public domain and the same can no longer be copyrighted.
A careful study of the records reveals that the song "Dahil Sa Iyo" which was registered on April 20, 1956 (Brief for Appellant, p. 10) became popular in radios, juke boxes, etc. long before registration (TSN, May 28, 1968, pp. 3-5; 25) while the song "The Nearness Of You" registered on January 14, 1955 (Brief for Appellant, p. 10) had become popular twenty five (25) years prior to 1968, (the year of the hearing) or from 1943 (TSN, May 28, 1968, p. 27) and the songs "Sapagkat Ikaw Ay Akin" and "Sapagkat Kami Ay Tao Lamang" both registered on July 10, 1966, appear to have been known and sang by the witnesses as early as 1965 or three years before the hearing in 1968. The testimonies of the witnesses at the hearing of this case on this subject were unrebutted by the appellant. (Ibid, pp. 28; 29 and 30).
Maglalang Santos vs., McCullough Printing, 12 SCRA 321 (1964) Facts
Mauro Malalang Santos filed an action for damages for unauthorized use, adaptation and appropriation by the MCCULLOUGH PRINTING COMPANY of the intellectual creation or artistic design of a Christmas card by him (Mauro Maglalang Santos) based on Article 721 and 722 of the Civil Code of the Philippines.
The Christmas card depicts a Philippine rural Christmas time scene consisting of a woman and a child in a nipa hut adorned with a star-shaped lantern and a man astride a carabao, beside a tree, underneath which appears the plaintiff's pen name, Malang.
The complaint alleges that plaintiff Mauro Malang Santos designed for former Ambassador Felino Neri, for his personal Christmas Card greetings for the year 1959, the artistic motif in question. The following year the defendant McCullough Printing Company, without the knowledge and authority of plaintiff, displayed the very design in its album of Christmas cards and offered it for sale, for a price. For such