MANILA, Philippines – In a surprising turn of events, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL) has canceled and invalidated the Trademark Registration of Television and Production Exponents (TAPE), Inc. for the title "Eat Bulaga!" on December 4, 2023.
This decision comes despite TAPE's recent renewal of the trademark in August. The production company had argued that the renewal extended their ownership of the trademark until 2033.
However, IPOPHIL ruled in favor of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey De Leon, collectively known as TVJ, who had filed a petition to cancel the trademark registration. The agency found that TVJ, not TAPE, was the rightful owner of the trademark.
"Respondent-Registrant TAPE Inc.’s existing trademark registrations over the marks ‘Eat Bulaga and EB’ and ‘EB’ should be canceled as they were obtained in contravention of the provisions of R.A. No. 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (IP Code),” IPOPHIL said.
The agency stated that TVJ had sufficiently established their ownership of the "Eat Bulaga!" mark, and therefore had the exclusive right to register it under their name.
TVJ has already begun celebrating their victory by using the "Eat Bulaga!" title on their official Facebook page.
This decision is a major setback for TAPE, which has been producing "Eat Bulaga!" since 1979. The show is one of the longest-running and most popular variety shows in the Philippines.
It remains to be seen how this decision will affect the future of "Eat Bulaga!".
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