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<p>Maintaining your rights to your trademark takes effort.</p>
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<p>Registration grants you initial rights to your trademark.</p>
<p>However, you need to show continuous use to maintain of the mark to keep your rights to it. This is done by filing a Declaration of Actual Use (DAU) with the IPO PHIL office on a set schedule.</p>
<p>Below, I&rsquo;ve outlined the steps on how to maintain your trademark and include everything you need to understand the process.</p>

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<p id="caption-attachment-6811" class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">The government will revoke your trademark if it is not being used.</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The IPO PHIL office removes your rights to your trademark from its system if proof of actual use is not filed.</p>
<p>After all, why give an owner rights to a mark if it is not being used?</p>
<p>Since your mark must be used for you to maintain rights over it, you will need to file proof of use.</p>
<p>These are photos of the mark used on labels, marketing materials, the company website, etc. along with a form called the Declaration of Actual Use or DAU.</p>

<p>A Declaration of Actual Use looks like this.</p>
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<p id="caption-attachment-6575" class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">It is important to fill the DAU form correctly to avoid serious problems.</p>
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<p>You will need the following information:</p>
<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1.&nbsp;Period being filed for.</p>
<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 2.&nbsp;Name, citizenship and address of person filing<br><br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.&nbsp;Registration/application/international registration date and number<br><br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 4.&nbsp;NICE classes<br><br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 5.&nbsp;Outlets where the product is being sold<br><br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 6.&nbsp;Proof of Use</p>
<p>Proof of use is fairly straightforward &ndash; it&rsquo;s how you use the trademark in your business.</p>
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<p id="caption-attachment-6812" class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">Actual Use is basically the use of your trademark in your day to day business.</p>
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<p>So, this would be pictures of marketing materials, printed pages of your website, labels and contracts where your mark was used.</p>
<p>For online stores, it would be a receipt that proves that the transaction took place in the Philippines. Then, notarize your application.</p>
<p>Remember also to include all the classes the trademark is being used for when you file the DAU. If a class is not included in the DAU, then it is dropped from the registration or application. [Rule 209 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations, July 2017]</p>

<p>Sometimes, it might not be possible to file a Declaration of Actual Use.</p>
<p>If you fall under one of the below cases, you can instead file a Declaration of Non-Use.</p>
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<p id="caption-attachment-6813" class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">DNU is an option only in specific situations.</p>
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<p>The IPOPHIL recognizes the below situations for filing a DNU:</p>
<p>1.&nbsp;The registered owner is prevented from using it as a requirement imposed by another government agency<br><br>2.&nbsp;An existing restraining order or injunction issued by a court, the IPO or other quasi-judicial bodies prevents the use or,<br><br>3.&nbsp;The mark is the subject of an opposition or cancellation case.</p>
<p>Filing the DNU in lieu of the DAU helps you maintain your rights to the mark.</p>
<p>But note &ndash; it&rsquo;s still subject to the same deadlines, so keep an eye on your calendar!</p>

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<p id="caption-attachment-6814" class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">Be punctual so you don&rsquo;t miss the deadline</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The DAU has to be filed on time.</p>
<p>With the exception of the 3rd year DAU and late fees, there are no extensions available.</p>
<p>This means that if you miss the DAU deadline, your trademark registration will be removed from the registrar.</p>
<p>The deadlines are:</p>
<p>1.&nbsp;Within 3 years from the application date<br><br>2.&nbsp;Within 1 year from the 5th anniversary of registration<br><br>3.&nbsp;Within 1 year from the renewal date<br><br>4.&nbsp;Within 1 year from the 5th anniversary of renewal</p>
<p>The first DAU (3 year DAU) is a bit different from the rest of the DAUs.</p>
<p>&bull; It is counted 3 years from the application date</p>
<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&bull; It has a one time extension of 6 months, upon the payment of fees. This extension must<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;also be filed within the 3 year period.</p>
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<p id="caption-attachment-6630" class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">You must be strict with time when filing a DAU.</p>
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<p>To clarify, I&rsquo;ve put together a timeline:<br>As you can see, everything else is counted from the date of registration.</p>
<p>And everything else has no extension available &ndash; so if you miss it, you miss it.</p>
<p>Keep your calendar handy and marked with the trademark schedule &ndash; it&rsquo;s really important to monitor and keep track of these deadlines.</p>

<p>DAU deadlines depend on 2 dates:</p>
<p>&bull; The application date</p>
<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&bull; The registration date</p>
<p>All DAUs except for the 3rd year DAU are based off of the registration date.</p>
<p>The 3rd year DAU however is based off of the application date.</p>
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<p id="caption-attachment-6815" class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">Don&rsquo;t confuse the deadlines!</p>
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<p>The application date is the date that a complete application was paid for.</p>
<p>However, what happens when you paid for an incomplete application? An incomplete application might be missing contact information or the list of good that the mark covers.</p>
<p>In this case, IPO PHIL will notify you of the missing information. IPO PHIL gives you 2 months to reply from the mailing date to complete the data. The Office will then give you a new application date, which is the date they received your completed information.</p>
<p>(This is subject also to priority rights, so it can get confusing.)</p>
<p>The registration date is the date when the mark was officially registered and is noted in the Certificate of Registration (COR).</p>

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<p>Filing a DAU is subject to the below fees.</p>
<p>As always, remember that fees are per class.</p>
<p>The more classes filed, the more the DAU costs.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<p id="caption-attachment-6634" class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">DAU has different filing fees according to the size of the entity and it&rsquo;s class.</p>
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<p>Corporations and applicants focus on the initial trademark filing.</p>
<p>But the DAU is a crucial part to maintaining your rights to the application.</p>
<p>In the Supreme Court Case G.R. 194307, the Supreme Court noted that the inability to file the DAU on the 10 year anniversary was &ldquo;tantamount to the abandonment or withdrawal of any right or interest the registrant has over his trademark.&rdquo;</p>
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<p id="caption-attachment-6816" class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">Knowing what to do and how to do things beforehand can save you from trouble in the future.</p>
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<p>The rights to the trademark were given to anther person who filed due to the lack of the DAU 10th year anniversary filing.</p>
<p>So, keep a strict eye on your calendar! The DAU is just as important as the application in maintaining your rights to your trademark.</p>
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How to Maintain Your Trademark (Declaration of Actual Use)