March 23, 2011
The prestigious Chambers & Partners of London recognized Bengzon Negre Untalan Intellectual Property Attorneys (“BNU”) and two of its partners in its Chambers Asia 2010 Survey of leading intellectual property law firms and lawyers in the Philippines.
Chambers & Partners carries out thousands of in-depth interviews with its clients in order to assess the reputations and expertise of law firms and lawyers across Asia.
BNU was placed prominently in the list of leading intellectual property law firms while Atty. Ferdinand M. Negre and Atty. Anthony D. Bengzon figured in the list of leading IP individuals.
"This is one of the Philippines' newest IP boutiques, and is staffed with a number of ex-Quisumbing Torres lawyers. It is already attracting praise for its "strong and aggressive showing, especially in IP litigation and enforcement." Sources also speak of its "useful relationships with enforcement agencies." Anthony Bengzon enjoys a rising profile for his "on-the-mark court work." Ferdinand Negre brings an insider's understanding of the Philippines IP Office from his time as a clerk there. He is president-elect of the Licensing Executives Society, and has developed "a sound skill set in IP enforcement," Chambers Asia 2010 notes.
True to Chambers & Partners’ regard of BNU, the law firm far exceeded its goals and potentials over just a period of close to ten years since its inception in 2001. To date, BNU has firmly established its niche in all aspects of IP practice. It remains very strong in IP enforcement and litigation as it is establishing a formidable patent and trademark practice.
BNU’s active involvement in both the academe and IP organizations is noteworthy. As noted by Chambers & Partners, Atty. Negre was elected recently as President of the Licensing Executives Society of the Philippines (“LES Philippines”), which post he will assume in 2011. He was also recently re-elected as Vice-President for External Affairs of the Intellectual Property Professors and Researchers Organization (“IP-PRO”). Another partner, Atty. Jonathan Q. Perez was elected as Secretary of the IP-PRO.
Atty. Negre teaches Intellectual Property Law at the Ateneo School of Law. Atty. Bengzon and Atty. Perez teach the same subject at the Far Eastern University-De La Salle University College of Law and New Era University College of Law, respectively.