Back

Ginebra San MIguel vs. Director of the Bureau of Trademarks

GINEBRA SAN MIGUEL, INC., PETITIONER, VS. DIRECTOR OF THE BUREAU OF TRADEMARKS, RESPONDENT. [G.R. No. 210224] TANDUAY DISTILLERS, INC., PETITIONER, VS. GINEBRA SAN MIGUEL, INC., RESPONDENT. [G.R. No. 216104] TANDUAY DISTILLERS, INC., PETITIONER, VS. GINEBRA SAN MIGUEL, INC., RESPONDENT. [G.R. No. 219632] TANDUAY DISTILLERS, INC., PETITIONER, VS. GINEBRA SAN MIGUEL, INC., RESPONDENT.

G.R. No. 196372 and G.R. No. 210224 and G.R. No. 216104 and G.R. No. 219632 | 2022-08-09

D E C I S I O N
 
GESMUNDO, C.J.:
 
In these consolidated Petitions,[1] the Court undertakes to settle the common issue of whether the term "GINEBRA" is a generic mark, or a distinctive mark that may be registered by Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (GSMI).
 
The antecedents of each case are as follows:
 
G.R. No. 196372
 
On February 21, 2003, GSMI[2] filed with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) an application for the registration of the mark "GINEBRA" for its gin products. The application was docketed as Trademark Application No. 4-2003-0001682,[3] and referred to the Bureau of Trademarks (...