Title: General Garments Corporation vs Director of Patents

Court: Supreme Court of the Philippines, En Banc

Case No.: G.R. No. L!"!#$
%u&'e: ()*)L+NT)L, J.:
Date: Septem,er -., /#0/
Source: http:11222.la2phil.net13u&3uris13uri/#0/1sep/#0/1'r4!"!#$4/#0/.html
56)CTS7

Puritan Sports2ear Corporation is a Penns8lvanian corporation, 2hile General Garments
is a Philippine corporation. Puritan Sports2ear Corporation file& a petition 2ith the Philippine
Patent 9ffice for the cancellation of the tra&emar: ;Puritan; re'istere& in the name of General
Garments Corporation. Puritan alle'e& that the8 o2ne& the tra&emar:, an& alle'e& prior use of
the tra&emar: on the same :in& of 'oo&s, 2hich use it ha& not a,an&one&. The8 also alle'e& that
the re'istration ,8 General Garments ha& ,een o,taine& frau&ulentl8.
General Garments Corporation file& a motion to &ismiss an& challen'e& the le'al
capacit8 of Puritan, a forei'n corporation not license& to &o ,usiness an& not &oin' ,usiness in
the Philippines, to maintain a suit in the Philippine Patent 9ffice for cancellation of a tra&emar:
re'istere& therein.
5+SS<E7 =hether or not Puritan Sports2ear, a forei'n corporation not license& to &o ,usiness
in the Philippines, can maintain a suit for cancellation of a tra&emar:
5R<L+NG7 >es. Puritan has the le'al ri'ht to maintain an action. Section /0 of the Tra&emar:
La2 states that ;an8 person, 2ho ,elieves that he is or 2ill ,e &ama'e& ,8 the re'istration of a
mar: or tra&ename; ma8 file a petition for cancellation of tra&emar: or name.
Puritan is un&ou,te&l8 a 3uri&ical person 2ithin the purvie2 of the la2 an& as
comprehen&e& in the phrase ;an8 person.; The fact that it ma8 not transact ,usiness in the
Philippines nor maintain a suit in Philippine courts &oes not ma:e it an8 less a 3uri&ical person.
There is even the e?ception that forei'n corporations ma8 sue in the ,asis of an isolate&
transaction: the recover8 of an8 &e,t, claim or &eman&.
)s hel& in a previous case 2hich pose& an analo'ous @uestion A=estern E@uipment an&
Suppl8 Co. vs. Re8esB, a forei'n corporation 2hich has never &one ,usiness in the Philippine
+slan&s an& 2hich is unlicense& an& unre'istere& to &o ,usiness here, ,ut is 2i&el8 an& favora,le
:no2n in the +slan&s throu'h the use of its pro&ucts ,earin' its corporate an& tra&e name has a
le'al ri'ht to maintain an action in the +slan&s. The purpose of the suit is to protect its reputation,
corporate name an& 'oo&2ill. Such ri'ht to the use of the corporate or tra&e name is a propert8
ri'ht, a ri'ht in rem, 2hich it ma8 assert an& protect in an8 of the courts of the 2orl&.