“Firm of the Year, Philippine Patent Prosecution” – 2024 Asia IP Awards
“2024 Rankings, Tier 1 in Patent and Tier 3 in Trademark ” – Managing IP
“ Patent Prosecution Law Firm, Tier 1” – 2022 Managing IP
“ IP Stars”, Managing IP, 2015-2020
“ Asia IP Expert”, Asia IP, 2020, 2021
SVBB Law is one of the Philippines’ leading intellectual property firms. Established in 1976, the firm led by Ignacio S. Sapalo, a former director of Bureau of Patents, Trademarks, Technology & Transfer, SVBB has been among the front-running law firms in the country engaged in intellectual property prosecution, maintenance, licensing, and enforcement.
“Serving with a heart, driven to master change.”
Awards and Rankings
Accolades and Recognitions
- Patent Prosecution Law Firm of the Year, Tier 1- 2022, Managing IP
- Philippine Trademark Firm of the Year – 2010, Asia IP Awards
- Philippine Trademark Firm of the Year (2011) – Shortlisted, Asia IP Awards
- Philippine Patent Firm of the Year (2011) – Shortlisted, Asia IP Awards
- Patent and Trademark Prosecution Law Firm of the Year in the Philippines – Corporate INTL Legal Awards 2015
- Top Agent for Utility Models from 2017 to 2021 – Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines
- Top Patent Filer for the Period of 2010-2014 – Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines
- Intellectual Property Champion Award 2023 – Awarded to Atty. Ignacio S. Sapalo for his invaluable contribution as BPTTT Director that helped build the IPOPHL.
Affiliations
International
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
- International Trademark Association (INTA)
- Licensing Executives Society International (LES)
- Association Internationale Pour La Protection de la Propriete Industrielle (AIPPI)
- Instituto Hispano-Luso-Americano de Derecho International (IHLADI)
- Asean Intellectual Property Association (ASEAN IPA)
- Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA)
- International Transport Federation (ITF)
Local
- Intellectual Property Foundation (IPF)
- International Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ICCP)
- Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines (IPAP)
- Licensing Executives Society of the Philippines (LES)
- Intellectual Property Alumni Association, Inc. (IPAA)
- International Law Association (ILA), Philippine Branch
- Maritime Law Association of the Philippines (MARLAW)
- Apostleship of the Sea (AOS)
- Pambansang Samanahan ng Inhenyero Mekanikal ( PSIM)
- Integrated Chemists of the Philippines (ICP)
- Philippine Association of Certified Patent Agents (PACPA)
- Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)
- Philippine Bar Association (PBA)
- Philippine Lawyers’ Association (PLA)
- Rotary Club of Marikina North District 3800
- International Council for Small Business-Philippines (ICSB)
- Tax Management Association of the Philippines (TMAP)
- Management Association of the Philippines (MAP)
HISTORY
Led by a calling to render service and aspire for justice to those who ask for their aid, Eugene A. Tan and Ignacio S. Sapalo, friends, classmates, and later professors at the Ateneo School of Law, founded and established on August 1, 1976 the then Tan & Sapalo Law Office in Makati City. Almost fifty (50) years later, said office, presently known as the Sapalo Velez Bundang and Bulilan Law Offices (SVBB Law), remains to be one of the Philippines’ leading intellectual property and labor maritime law firms. Suffice it to say that the legacies of Eugene A. Tan and Ignacio S. Sapalo continue to shape and influence SVBB’s legal practice to this very day.
In 1977, the Firm’s excellence in the field of intellectual property was further enhanced with the arrival of distinguished Intellectual Property lawyers, Jaime G. Manzano and Teresita C. Velez, leading to the formation of the “Tan Sapalo Manzalo & Velez Law Offices” .
In 1983, Eugene A. Tan’s leadership potential was duly recognized after he was voted as one of the ten outstanding young men of the Philippines. By 1987, he was elected as President of the Philippine Bar Association (PBA) and just three (3) years later, became the National President of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP). In 1993, he also established the Ateneo School of Law Professorial Chair for Constitutional Law and Rule of Law to promote the value of quality legal studies in the country.
The year 1987 also saw the departure of Ignacio S. Sapalo from the Firm, and his appointment as Director of the then Bureau of Patent, Trademarks, and Technology Transfer (BPTTT)l, now the Intellectual Property Office (IPOPHIL). As Director of the BPTTT, he led the group that crafted Republic Act No. 8293, otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code, and authored a book entitled “Background Reading Material on Intellectual Property Law in the Philippines” published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). With his momentary absence, the Firm became known as the “Tan Manzano & Velez Law Offices”.
After his stint as Director of the BPTTT, Ignacio S. Sapalo rejoined the Firm and took over its management in 2000. Under his stewardship, the Firm aimed to be the best intellectual property law firm in the country, a champion of seafarer’s rights, and provider of pro-bono legal services to the poor. Together with Partner Teresita C. Velez, and Augusto R. Bundang, a former Associate of the Firm experienced in litigation, licensing, and intellectual property practice, the Firm witnessed great changes to adapt to the vicissitudes of the rapidly evolving legal landscape. Taking its vision of championing seafarers’ rights to heart, the Firm entered into a collaboration with the AOS, an office of the Episcopal Commission of Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant people (ECMI) of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines for the promotion and protection of seafarers’ rights.
In 2001, a licensed mechanical engineer and former BPTTT patent examiner and practicing patent attorney, Neptali L. Bulilan, was admitted as new Partner, and subsequently became the head of the Firm’s Intellectual Property Department.
In 2006, the Firm came to be what is now known as Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan (SVBB), with the promotion of Augusto R. Bundang and Neptali L. Bulilan as senior partners. In 2010, Romeo H. Duran, an experienced lawyer from one of the biggest Philippine accounting firms, with specialization in corporate, tax, and immigration practice, was admitted as partner, and now heads the Firm’s Corporate, Tax and Immigration Department.
Two years later, Romeo B. Fortea, now head of the Litigation Department of the Firm with Dennis R. Gorecho, current head of the Seafarers’ Department, and Ma. Consuelo C. Agno, were admitted as partners.
In 2023, Augusto R. Bundang took over the helm as the Firm’s Managing Partner with Neptali L. Bulilan as Co-Managing Partner. Ignacio A. Sapalo, a former senior associate, was admitted as partner.
More than 48 years later, SVBB continues to be one of the oldest and esteemed law firms in the country unfailing to serve with a heart while remaining driven to challenge change.
COMMITMENT
Education and Intellectual Property
SVBB vies not only to promote awareness on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), particularly within the academic scientific community, but also to support the growth of science and technology in the country, on the premise that the development of IPR rests on a vibrant scientific and technological environment.
SVBB has joined hands with Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and Don Bosco Technical College, Mandaluyong City (Don Bosco) in their efforts to provide quality education to Filipino college students in the areas of science and engineering. In 2008, SVBB signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) for the creation of an endowment fund to support students enrolled in the School of Science and Engineering (SOSE) who are inclined to pursue law studies and specialize in intellectual property laws. Accordingly, SVBB partnered with the Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) of the Ateneo and initiated the annual “Ateneo – SVBB IP Awards” Project which aims to promote IP rights within the Loyola schools.
Following the arrangement with ADMU, SVBB also signed a MOA with Don Bosco to establish a scholarship fund for the same purpose. SVBB and Don Bosco also put up the Don Bosco Environergy Research and Development Foundation, Inc., to promote research development and foster high-level knowledge and technology for sustainable, natural, renewable energy systems.
Seafarers’ Rights
Through the years, SVBB continues to champion seafarers’ rights as it cooperates with various stakeholders in ensuring better protection and more benefits for Filipino seafarers. SVBB actively participates in activities of various maritime organizations like the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) Philippines, United Filipino Seafarers (UFS), Luneta Seafarers’ Foundation (LUSWELF), Bantay OCW Radio Inquirer, National Seafarers’ Day (NSD) Committee, Maritime Forum, Inc. (MFI), Maritime Law Association of the Philippines (MARLAW), and the International Seafarers Welfare Assistance Network (ISWAN) to promote the well-being of Filipino seafarers and the working class as a whole. The Firm has contributed several published articles on seafarers’ rights and periodically sends lawyers in different parts of the country to conduct paralegal lectures on seafarers’ welfare and legal rights. In recent years, the Firm has been involved in initiatives to provide voice to the seafarers in legislative hearings and promote their interests.
